Autumn Leaves
by Notorious P.A.T
Summary: April showers may bring May flowers, but what do Autumn leaves bring? Two friends lend a helping hand to one another and get much more then they bargained for. Rukato, poss. a jerihenry. Rated T for some cursing.
1. Just Friends

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A/N: So yeah, I don't own Digimon, or anything like that… wow… If I did why would I be here? In fact I own very little. The bolded X's are suppost 2 be breaks from one character to another. I couldn't figure out how to get regular like stars or w/e on the site so if anyone could help me there... I'd much appreciate it. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
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Just Friends

The leaves in Autumn are beautiful, with their colors of gold, red, brown, and green. They make you feel safe, welcome, good… loving. They dance around your head when they fall, tempting you to reach for it, daring you to out reach and touch something real that won't be there anymore very soon. So soon you can't help but keep your hands away… to let the leaves be. Really? What's the point in touching something that won't always be there for you, that will leave you, that will be gone before your eyes in just a few short months, when the cold has turn them over for death. But still… the leaves are beautiful in Autumn.

My alarm clock is screaming once again but I can't make out what it's saying. I haven't been able to understand what its been saying for a while now. I've tuned my ears out of it and only to the direction it is coming from. The direction I plan on putting my hand in the middle of, to stop the non-worded noise it is making. It's not that it's there to wake me up anymore… I've learned to do that all on my own. I'm awake plenty before it goes off, but it's their as more of a reminder of the world I live in and the world I have to return to… the world I've grown to hate. My hand slips to look for the noise. My mind wanders to the night before… it's astonishing isn't it how fast the mind back tracks. In seconds, I've gone back eight hours in my mind to remembering where I put that clock. It wanders for a more seconds before I remember to knocking it over as I turned it on. I turn over in bed and reach off the side of my bed and shut the contraption off and prepare myself for the day ahead. A day assured to be filled with painfully awkward people. They are the most painfully awkward people, because they remind me so much of the leaves and the ever changing seasons. Always changing how they feel depending on their 'emotions'. I don't need emotions… those people are so weak, I and only I can be strong, because whose going to be there for me if I become weak? No one.

My mother doesn't understand me, and my grandmother is just well… old. I pull out a few casual clothes and a towel out from my laundry room, turn the shower on, and prepare for the ritual that I begin with every morning. I grab the toothpaste and put some on my toothbrush and take off. I rub vigorously and thoroughly. I don't have to look good for anyone but myself. But any day could be my day… but it never is. But today is different! No doubt, today will be different then every other day! I can feel it is in my tarot cards. I'll change today… like I should have a long time ago. Why? Because I need to change for my mothers sake of having a daughter, for my grandmothers sake so she can have a granddaughter, but most important…

for my own sake… because I need it more then anyone else.

But how do you change what has been there for you for so long and been there day after day, after day, after day, after day?

I look out side, it seems like the calm before the storm. . . and it's about to pour.

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Shoo… man it's about to POUR! But I have to meet Jeri. She's waiting for me in the park… by Guilmon's old hangout. She has to hear me out because we'll . . . she'll want to. I made it out to be something really important on the phone because to me, it is.

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"Hello, is J-Jeri home?" I said nervously.  
"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" her stepmother replied.  
"Takato Matsuki, um, tell her it's kind of important." I said, still nervous.  
"Okay, I will, one moment please."  
I wait a few moments waiting for Jeri to come on. I can hear muffled voices, a laugh (I think), and the phone is picked up. "Hello Takato."

"Hey Jeri. What's going on?  
"I don't know, you tell me." She responded.  
"Not much. Um, can you meet me in the park tomorrow? Since it's going to be Saturday and all."  
"Sure. Where in the park? Oh, and when?" she questioned.  
"Uh, I was thinking at Guilmon's old hideout? Um like three-ish? What ever time is good for you?"

"Hold on one sec." She says, putting the phone down and I can hear the muffled voices again and no doubt she's asking her step-mom for a ride.  
"Takato?"

"Yup."  
"Umm… is four all right? Kind of busy at three."  
"Yeah it's fine. Oh and incase your mom didn't tell you, it's important."  
"She did. Bye."  
"Bye" I finished and hung up the phone.

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Gee, I sure did pick a _perfect_ day to meet Jeri in the park… wow what a crappy day! Damn, I hope it isn't raining when we finally hook up… I mean meet up… I mean… God I don't know what I mean anymore, I'm over anxious. B_est not to get ahead of yourself Takato. What if she doesn't feel the same?_ She's gonna feel the same though! _How do you know that?_ Because well… damn I fought to get her back from the D-Reaper, damnit! If that doesn't scream 'I like you' I don't know what will?

But what if she does say no? … _Yes, what if_-

NO! She'll feel the same I know it! She has to; I mean… she cares about me doesn't she?

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So… am I early or is Takato late? Oh, there he is coming up the hill. So, what is so important? Did he check the weather before he called me? Oh well. I've got a ride home with mom, I wonder if he's got one? Should I offer him a ride home? Well he does live like five minutes from here right? I'm sure we'll be done and him home with plenty of time before it storms. I mean how could-

"Hey, Jeri!"  
"Hey, Takato."  
"You're here early." He told me.  
"(I knew it!) I guess so. So what's so important that we had to risk being soaked?" I questioned.  
"Well… umm… this isn't very easy to say, I mean, not for me at least. It's just that you see… umm, it's just that…" He stuttered.

"C'mon Takato, you know you can talk to me about anything! Were friends!" I comforted him, but for some reason he blushed and looked away? What's going on?  
"Hmm, I know, I know. I was just wondering, if, well… you know… I figure, well…"  
"C'mon Takato," I begged him to talk more, "just say what's on your mind!"  
"Umm, well I know we see each other a lot, and I was just wondering if…"  
"(What? What is he trying to say?)… Out with it, you can't keep to yourself all the time Takato."

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?" He said with his head towards the ground.

Wha… wha… what? How could he ask me that! I never thought that about him! It never really even crossed my mind. I was shocked!  
"Umm… oh God… yeah I guess that is sort of important," I had to word myself perfectly, "but umm, Takato, I always just thought of you as my best friend, and I don't want to lose that with you, it's way too valuable to me." I stammered out.  
I could tell, without seeing his face, he was disappointed.

"You see what I'm saying? I like you too much to want to be with you, because if we do go out, and then if we were to break up, then we wouldn't be that close anymore? I want us to be… just… just," I fought to find the right words, "just friends!"  
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A/N: Hey, that's the name of the story.  
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I waited to see how he responded; he was still looking at the ground, just as I was about to go on he finally looked up at me.  
"Yeah, I understand. Now you better get going, its gonna pour." He said.

But how he said it scared me. His face was blank. The boy who always had a smile of some sort on was emotionless for once. His eyes showed no love for the world around him… did he feel that strongly about me? Or was it just the aftermath of let down still upon him? I mean, he's way to good for me, there are plenty of girls he can get besides me! He's a great guy. I felt my feet start to move away from him. I tried to offer him a ride home, but the words got caught in my throat and I couldn't choke them out. It is going to pour though, I tried to tell myself. I just hope he doesn't get caught in the storm.

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Just friends'… just friends? That's all I was to her? That's all she thought of me. As her best 'just' friend. I risked my life, and the lives of others, and the lives of our digimon partners because I wanted to get her back from the D-Reaper. Impmon was almost killed just to offer her freedom, and be told no! I put my life on the line to save her, and this is how she repaid me? No! That's not how to see things, because that's not how things really were. She cared so much about me, she didn't want to lose what we had by a breakup, which by the way, I had never planned on.

I stood there for a few more minutes pondering what 'just friends' could do for me, and came to several conclusions… all of which were 'nothing'. And then? Then I just ran. I ran away because I had nothing. I had no one. So I had nothing to lose by running, because there's nothing to gain from just walking around aimlessly. But… that's what I was doing, wasn't it? Only I was running around aimlessly, I wasn't going home, I was going wherever my legs carried me. Because I had nothing, and that meant I had nothing to lose.

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"Hi mom!" I exclaimed.  
"Hello Jeri," she responded. "where's Takato? It's about to rain isn't it."  
"Yeah. But I don't know where he is. I left before he walked away." I said.  
"Soo… what was SO important that he had to see you before it stormed, and too important for the phone?" she asked me.  
"Oh nothing." I said unconvincingly. I don't think my stepmother would understand so I wasn't going to tell her.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't ask. But just by not wanting to talk about it I can tell it must be very important." She pointed out to me.  
"Yeah I guess so." I said getting into the car, just as it started raining.

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Where am I going? Why am I going this way? What am I doing? I need to get out of this rain before it engulfs me. I need… I need… I need-

"You idiot, get out of the rain!"

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After an hour of getting ready for the day ahead, I finally decided it was a ripe time to have breakfast. With the after taste of toothpaste finally out of my mouth, I walked into the kitchen to find grandma making eggs.

"Morning grandma." I said.  
"Good morning Rika," She responded. "would you like some scrambled eggs?" She asked me.  
"Please." I said.  
"Okay, but your going to have to help me a little bit."  
"Not a problem." I had always been able to get along with my grandma much better then I did with my mother.

"What do you need?" I asked.  
"Well I'm almost done, but the trash can is full can you take it outside?"  
"Aww, c'mon grandma it JUST started raining." I begged.  
"Now Rika, if you want the reward you must work for it."  
"All right," I said while tying up the trash, when a thought came to my mind, "hey grandma, where's mom?"

"She had to go to an sudden photo shoot that came up this morning."  
"Hmm, figures." I said. I need to change, and seeing the upside of everything is a not-so-easy way to start off, but no one needed to know I was changing yet.

I opened the front door and carried the trash into the storm. Man, it was really bad. As I was putting it into the bin I saw some whacko bent over on the curb, breathing heavily. They looked like they had been beat up, or just out of breath? Either way, not my prob- . . .

No! It should be my problem. Changing who I am is a big part of helping others and if I can help a stranger I can help anyone. But I wasn't gonna be nice about it. So I yelled out-

"You idiot, get out of the rain!"

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What? Who… who? Where am I? Who yelled? I turn and I can barely see through the rain the outline of someone standing about twenty feet away. I'm not gonna take crap from this random person, not now, not in this pathetic state I'm in. Crying, out of breath, and ready to take the beating from the rain.

"Leave me alone. I'll do what I want." I yelled back through the rain.

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That voice sounds familiar? Nah, I can't hear that well through the rain. But I'm not gonna take no for an answer.

"Fine, do what you want, but what you should want is a warm house offered by an complete stranger." I yelled back, biting my lip to prevent myself from calling them an idiot again.

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Some people just can't get a clue, can they? Step off now! I don't want your sympathy…

or do I? Maybe sympathy is just what I need? Maybe what I need is someone to talk to, someone who doesn't know me and who I can trust because they aren't going to see me as pathetic, but just as someone who needs a friend… yeah someone to talk to is just what I needed right now.

"A warm house? Can I hold you to that?" I asked.

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So this person was gonna except my hospitality were they? Well I guess there not such an idiot. These emotions weren't so bad… sure I'd probably hit myself later for being too weak. But right now was about change. I started walking towards them, as they started getting up.

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I began getting up as they started walking over to me. Wow, this person must really be nice to offer me so much, and then to also to not just reach out to me, but to reach out in this kind of weather. I mean who would be so-

"Takato?"

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"Rika!"

"What the… what… hey…" I stammered out. Rika Nonaka, of all people, offering me kindness in this weather? Did I run into some parallel universe when my legs were moving me?

"Hey. Umm… what the hell are you doing in this rain? And are you crying?"

"No, it's ah, just the rain. I ran out of breath. I was on my way home from the park."

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What? That didn't make any sense, his house was all the way on the other side of the park? Why would he come out the wrong way if he was going home?

"Umm, so lets get you inside the house and cleaned up. Oh and if you tell anyone what I said, your dead." I threatened him.

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Hmm, Rika Nonaka being nice to someone she thought a complete stranger, I wonder what this is all about? But of course she threatened me.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I told her.

As I started walking back to her house she gave me a little shove in the back an said-

"Walk faster its pouring, remember?"

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A/N: Ta da! Well, that's it for chapter one! I'm sure you're boo's are all ready lined up and waiting, but please no flames. Okay, so I've certainly got a freaking lot to explain. First of all, I could NEVER change Rika as a character, I can't tap into that kind of emotion and make her change her mind through out a series of (hopefully) like five stories. Much to difficult, and complex for my little mind to comprehend, so I just made it out that she realizes what a jerk she's been and is trying to change, but not for anyone but herself. As for the title and the talk Jeri gives him, it gave me much grief trying to figure a title for the story or an explanation she would give Takato for not wanting to go out with him, and then I remembered this talk a good girl friend of mine gave me once when I asked her out, and I used that speech as an outline for their talk. Were still good friends so I expect Takato and Jeri to remain that way… or maybe not. It's my story and because it is- I wanted it to rain.

Oh, if you've ever red the poem 'Bells' by Edgar Allen Poe, then you would kind of understand where I was coming from with that whole repeating that it was going to rain thing. If you haven't red it, then I suggest you do so, its really good. What it is though, is he uses the word 'bells' like Thirty times over the course of like four verses. The point is to make you say it so many times it reminds you of the sound of a bell. So that's what I did, I used the word pour, rain, storm, and whatever a lot so you would start to get the idea of it was actually raining (plus it was raining when I started this so…).

I also changed from one characters point of view to another characters point of view a lot because I like doing it (thats what those X's with bolds are suppost 2 be... I couldn't figure out how 2 get brakes in the story b4 i posted it so...). I try not to leave anything up in the air for you wonderful people to criticize and say 'hey! what happened to blah'. I don't know if I'll continue writing from Jeri's point of view, not that I don't like it, just I don't know where she would fit into the rest of the story line. If I choose to do then it would probably turn into a Jeri/Henry kind of thing. I bunched the talking together so it wouldn't seem so big... if it is? I expect it to be like 5 chapters like I said earlier, but if you didn't like it, I won't write anymore.

Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention this is my first story? SO PLEASE NO FLAMES. I'll take any other kind of comments, even 'constructive criticism.' Love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)

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	2. When it rains it pours

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A/N: Digimon- not mine! Wish it was. If it was… damn, Rika and Takato would have been together without a seconds hesitation. Anyway, I own very little. Still no help on the breaks so once again… we're gonna have bolded X's! Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
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When it rains… it pours

The radio was playing a soft tune when I walked in from the drenching rain, the song sounded familiar. I wanted the sound to wrap me in its melody and carry me away from this wretched rain, this wounded world, this devil of a day. It was both wonderful, and yet strange. I couldn't make out the tune, almost as if the sound from my alarm clock was coming from it, as if I could no longer hear any sound at all, no matter it being good or bad. Maybe soon my ears will just shut off entirely and I won't have to deal with the unending talk of my mother and the sound of strangers talking. Maybe –

"I love this song!" said a strange goggle headed person, who was soaked worse then myself.

I was quiet for a moment. I knew that I knew the song, it sounded familiar, but I just couldn't make it out. So I guess I could play dumb and pretend like I didn't know the song. "And? What song is it?" I questioned him.

"Wha… you mean… you've never heard it?" he asked back.  
"You idiot, if I did know why would I be asking!" I retorted.  
"Oh… right. It's ah, called 'Caring is Creepy' by The Shins." He told me.  
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A/N: I also don't own that song, or the lyrics, or the band. Once again I ask- why would I be here if I did?  
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Now I could make the song out. Yes! That's right, now I remember. I made a mental note to let Takato slide on something stupid he did next time. My ears tuned into the song just in time for my favorite part:

"_It's a luscious mix of words and tricks  
That let us bet when you know we should fold  
On rocks I dreamt of where we'd stepped  
And the whole mess of roads we're now on."_

This was a good song, I thought to myself. But why does Takato like it? "Well, lets get us some towels." I said walking towards the laundry room for the second time today.  
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Gee, I haven't been in Rika's house in a long time. Way back… back… when was the last time I was in Rika's house? Probably before we defeated the D-Reaper, I guess? Whoa, that was almost four months ago!  
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A/N: Yes, there is a little bit of reason behind this. I'm gonna go ahead and assume they defeated the D-Reaper in like… June. And since it's fall, I'm gonna make it November.  
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Has it really been that long since I saw the entire gang together? I mean… whoa! After the entire thing Rika kind of just stayed out of touch. Losing Renamon was a horrible thing to happen to her, considering everything they'd been together, but after that, I would have just assumed she would come to us for friendship, I mean… I sure did. Henry and me became better friends even though we didn't have Guilmon and Terriermon we still stayed friends, but Rika… she just kind of disappeared off the map. Since we didn't go to the same school none of us saw her as much… if at all? Now that I think about it… I haven't seen her at all since we won. Her grandma comes by the bakery occasionally, but I never talked to her. The summer had been hectic, but I can't believe, now that I'm looking back, that none of us ever called her to invite her to do anything, to have some fun with everyone.

Gee… I guess she has even more reason to hate us. Does she hate us? It has been almost four months, has she changed? Is she nice now? Holy crap… I'm talking to myself again! Ugh… Jeri was right… I should defiantly not keep to myself all the time. It is Rika… maybe I should talk to her about 'just friends'?_ No! She'll mock you! She won't pity you, she'll despise you! _But I desperately need a friend now. And while were four months removed a friendship, some bond still has to be there, right? I mean, if I do talk to her about it, she won't have anyone to tell and make fun of me with; she doesn't talk to anyone from my school. I think…

"Here you go." I heard about a second before a white cloth hit me in the back of the head.

I turned around and picked the towel up off the floor and Rika walked past me… where was she going? I stood up and followed her as she turned the corner into a room that seemed to be full of life.

"Hey grandma, we've got company now." I heard her say as I turned into the kitchen.

There stood her grandma making… food.

"Why hello young man, may I ask who you are?" she asked me.  
What? Four months later and she didn't remember me? What should I say? Should I-  
"It's Takato Matsuki grandma, you know, his family owns that bakery you go to sometimes." Rika answered for me.  
"Oh yes! That's right, good bread their… good bread." She said turning away to clean up a bit.  
"Umm, Grandma, he also fought with me last June, remember?" She said again.  
"Oh yes! The brown haired boy, yes he was cute." She said with her back to us.  
I felt my eye twitch for a second. "Umm… thanks?" I got out.  
"For what dear?" she replied, as if forgetting what she had just said.  
"Never mind." I said.  
"Riiiiiiiight…" said Rika.

"So anyway, what the… (She looked at her Grandma, still turned around) heck, were you doing on this side of the park?" she asked.  
"(I already lied about this) I told you, I was on my way-"  
"Home?" She interrupted me.  
"Yeah…" I said.  
"No you weren't." She replied.  
"(What!) Umm, I think I know where I was going." I said.  
"I don't think you do. Unless you were lost, because your house is on the other side of the park…" she pointed out.  
Busted! Whoa, I can't believe I missed that one. "Well ya see, I was just ah, just um-"  
"Don't lie again." She warned me.

"Ugh… can we talk about this somewhere else?" I asked. I had decided, I've got to talk about it, and talk to Rika about is a good person to talk to, if you can stand the occasional snide comments.

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What? What's he got to say that he can't say in front of my Grandma? I should ask, but I can in a few seconds. "Alright, whatever," I said. "follow me."

I lead him out of the kitchen and into my room. It wasn't clean… it was tidy. Almost to the point I wanted to hit myself it was too tidy. A few of my cards spewed on the floor, I just stepped over them and while they weren't any good, if he stepped on them I would make like they were. But, he didn't step over them and sat in a chair near the window, where you could see easily that it was still pouring. And lightning was becoming a part of the mix and every now a few grumbles of thunder.

"So what do you have to say that you can't say in front of my grandma?" I questioned him.  
"Well, it's not so much of in front of your grandma, as it is embarrassing." He responded.  
"What?" I asked again.  
"Well, you see… I was in the park right before _it_ (he glanced outside) started."  
"Yeah, and?" I said. I was interested in where this was going.

"And I was meeting Jeri at Guilmon's old hang out." He went on.  
"What, did you and crazy girl make out?" I half asked, half insulted him; I was interested in his response.  
"Hahaha," he gave an extremely shaky laugh, as if nervous… or scared? "No, nothing like that." He told me  
"I ah, I kind of asked her out." He told me, something in his voice said failure, or rejection, but I couldn't help but ask.

"So let me get it from here," I started and he looked up at me with surprise, "she said yes and you got so excited you ran away jumping around like an idiot? Am I right?" I said.  
"Huh," he started an looked back out the window. "it was more like the complete opposite." He said.  
I was quiet again. What? Why would Jeri say no to him? It didn't make sense. "What do you mean?" I asked.  
"She ah… she wanted to be just, 'just friends'." He stammered out.

Whoa. Lover boy and crazy girl… not together? Just because she only wanted to be friends? Wow. I might have hit her if I was him.  
"You see, I was kind of… depressed about it and just ran away after she left. I just… felt like… there was no point in walking. Because I didn't have anything to gain from walking." He finished.

I was shocked. Goggle head had done so much to get her back from the D-Reaper. He freaked out when Leomon died, and even risked losing Guilmon himself. We all risked our lives for her. She owed him a debt of gratitude.

"Well… that's just too bad. Move on, ya know. There are plenty of other girls out there, goggle head." I said.  
"Please, spare me. There aren't any other girls out there." He said.  
I gave him a _very_ threatening look that spoke volumes… "for me." He corrected himself.  
"Bull… sh-t." I said.

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A/N: I don't know if I can say that in a T rating so, no risks. There 13 remember… at 13 I was saying some worse things.  
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His eye's lit up, like he was prepared to actually **defend** her. I was a little stunned that after what she had put him through earlier today, he was ready to defend her actions… justify them! Was her really that thick? That while she refused to even go out on a date with him, he was ready to accept that and see how it was the obvious right choice? I had to change… but now was about time the old Rika showed herself. "Don't you defend her."

"She was right we need to-

"Don't justify it either. She doesn't see what is right in front of her. You do though! Your one stupid guy you know, but that doesn't mean you're a bad guy. Or not a good-looking guy, girls like you. More then you think. You've got to pull yourself together, because once you see Jeri's not the only girl on the face of the earth, you'll be alright. Weak, and pathetic… but alright." I finished.

He pulled his eyes away from me and looked out the window again and the hailing rain, and seemed to be mulling over what I had just said. He seemed to be alright though… not good, just alright.

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**Rika's right. Jeri's not the only girl out there for me. I'm not quite ready to move on, but I'm ready to forget about her. I made the right choice in choosing to confide in Rika. Now that _that's _over with, maybe now we should try and catch up with one another. Four long months without a word to one another and then one rainy afternoon were suddenly back on speaking terms. "So ugh," I said looking away from the window, "what have you been up to?"

She looked at me with a kind of exasperated, tired look and gave a laugh as if what I had said was completely off subject, which it was. But I didn't care, we hadn't spoken or even seen each other in four months and it's about time we started seeing what the other had been up to.

"I've been kind of busy with school, working in the bakery, and other crap. You?" I asked.

"Well… I haven't been up to much. The summer was kind of boring. I guess without Renamon I just… well I've just got a lot more free time, ya know." She said.

I was afraid she'd bring up the summer. "Well my summer was alright. It could have been better… or worse." I said thinking of the complications that could have resulted from asking Jeri out during the summer. Would it have been better? Or worse? Nah, she said she always-

"So where you thinking about going to high school?" She interrupted my thoughts.

I actually had done some thinking about this. Not lately though. My thoughts had been on Jeri, but now that she asked, I realized I still wasn't sure where I wanted to go. "Well… my parents want me to go to an all guys school, but I kind of want to go to a mixed one." I responded.

She didn't seem to be paying attention. I could tell because the next moment she was standing up and halfway to the door before I realized I was still sitting down. I got up fast and chased after. She was in the kitchen when I finally caught up. I looked at her with a questioning look and she simply replied, "Your slow, lover boy."

I smiled at this; I guess 'lover boy' was a small price to pay to be able to talk to someone about my problems. "So, anything interesting happening in your life?" I asked.

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I could easily tell him yes, that I was trying to change, but what's the point. This side of the city would know about it before dawn tomorrow if I told **him**. Although… he had told me about his problem with Jeri, maybe this was a trust thing? It be an easy way to re-start our friendship… if that's what we were before, 'friends'. I looked out side and saw the rain was coming down a little less hard, then looked at the clock, 5:12. Hmm, it's almost time for dinner… where's grandma? Then I saw a note by the sink,

Rika dear,  
I've gone to the store for some foods for dinner, be round back round 5:30-ish.  
Love,  
Grandma

Hmm, so I've got about 15 minutes to kill. I guess I could tell Takato that I'm trying to change. Trust… hmm, I think I can handle this.

"So… can I, ugh," I fought over the thought of telling him a second longer in my head, and telling him won. "Trust you, to keep a secret. Since I'm not gonna be talking about your rejection anytime soon?" I asked.

He seemed a little confounded by this at first, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, sure." He said.  
"You swear you won't tell anyone, what I 'trust' you with?" I dared him.  
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A/N: Yeah I know, that sounds really cheesy to me too.  
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"Yeah. Besides, in this town, who will listen to me?"

I unexpectedly let a laugh escape my lips. I found it funny that he was assuring me of his trustworthiness, by making fun of himself. "Okay, well… and I know you won't believe me, but-" I started. "I'm trying to… to change, I realize I've been a jerk in the past... and I'm trying to change for the better." I let it get out before I could pull it back.

He looked at me with a quiet stupidity, as if confused. How much clearer could I have made it? "You mean, like… to being a nice person?" he asked.  
I pulled myself onto the top of the counter and sat on it, and looked away. "Yup."  
Three…  
two…  
one…

"That's cool. I mean, I was afraid you had made the transition when we weren't talking." He said.

What? What! He… he wasn't going to laugh about it? He wasn't going to say how it was impossible for the 'heart of ice' Rika Nonaka to change who she was? How I could never be a nice person like himself. I thought for sure he would. I needed to know why he wasn't going to mock me. "You're not going to laugh? Or say how it's impossible? Or how I could never possibly do it. That I'm too wrapped in myself and the past to let it happen?" I asked.

"Nope. You didn't laugh at me for being rejected my Jeri, or for thinking she was the only girl for me. So… I'm not going to tell you it's impossible. But personally," he said. "I think it's awesome, and think you can do it."

I was stunned for a moment. He thought... I could do it? He even believed I could do it? I hadn't counted on this to happen. So… this whole trust thing really doesn't backfire does it? But I had to say something to him. "Thanks." I said.  
"You don't need to thank me for believing in you." He said.

I looked back at the clock; it was now 5:26. "So umm… my grandma is gonna be home soon with stuff to make dinner. Do you-"  
"Yeah. I'll start heading home" he interrupted me.  
Not what I was going to say… but okay. If he didn't want to stay around, that's his life. He started walking towards the front door, and I looked out side… It had stopped raining.

I opened the front door for him. "So, I guess I'll see you around." I said, rather then asked.  
"Yeah. Yeah defiantly." He said.

He walked down the steps and started to walk down the soaked concrete path, before turning around. "Umm, do you think it would be all right if I came back tomorrow around four?" he asked.

"… Sure." I said.

I didn't have any plans. I had a little bit of homework to do for school, but other then that, I've got nothing to do. I guess he still wanted to talk. Whatever, I'll probably see him tomorrow and that'll be the end of it.

"Great! I'll see ya tomorrow." He said walking away, and waving.

I raised my hand to wave back, but realized how stupid that would be and made it to be that I was pulling some hair out of my eyes. So I guess I'll be seeing lover boy some more. _Oh joy_, I thought to myself sarcastically.

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So, Rika Nonaka is trying to become a nice person, and I'm trying to cope with rejection. Looks like were going to be helping one another. I still need someone to talk to that won't look down on me, and she'll definitely need a little bit of help changing. _This is good_, I thought to myself, the first good thing my head had thought all day. Plus, no more rain! I get to walk home dry. But gee… mom is gonna be pissed I'm so late home from the park. So I ran… I ran because, I had noting to lose by running, because there was nothing to gain from walking home late.  
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A/N: Yeah! Chapter two, done. Now I can take a breather. Not so much to explain this time. Oh, first of all, I realized a HUGE mistake I made in chapter one while writing the first time Rika looks at the clock this chapter. If you go back to the first chapter, you'll see that I have her just waking up to start the chapter, then Grandma asking if she wants breakfast, while meanwhile in the park it's 4pm and Takato and Jeri are just meeting. Whoa. A four o'clock breakfast is like what I do, but that's because I sleep in. Yikes. Then I just cut out Rika eating breakfast at all, and made her grandma disappear by going to the store. Don't worry, I plan to make Rika's mom appear in a few chapters, possibly the next. Other things- I love that Shins song so don't flame that please.

Oh yeah, if you've read my profile, then you know I love the movie Batman Begins, and if you go back to when Takato says something like 'who will listen to me?' if you've seen BB then you'll get this- the original line was "And besides, in this town, whose there to rat to anyway?" But I didn't feel like putting in another disclaimer about something I wish I owned. Anyway, it doesn't seem that Jeri and Henry are going to come into the story together. Honestly, its hard enough just to get these two (Rika and Takato) together already, I can't put them together too! But I do plan on putting them into the next chapter. In fact the entire gang makes an appearance in the next chapter, I hope. It depends on how well I can write it out. Sorry everyone, but this might evolve into a few more then 5 chapters. :-/ I love writing this though. But what do you think? I need you guys to review so I can have some idea of what I should do with this story. Also, I need a show of hands, who thinks I should bring Ryo into the story? (Looks around and sees some people leaving just because I suggested it) Right… no Ryo it is. I do have plans for another story where he'll be a major character. That too will be a Rukato, but first I have to finish this, and I'm not gonna be able to do that without some reviews so please people, do me a favor.

Remember, love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.  
(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	3. Holy Safe Happens

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A/N: Hello, people! Welcome to Chapter three, entitled 'Holy- **Safe Happens**' (just read it okay!). Reminders- Digimon, not mine, wishing it was. If it were… this wouldn't be on Fan Fiction, it would be a few episodes… or a movie. Whatever, its not mine! Okay, I'll stop now. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
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Holy- **Safe Happens**

I awoke with a start. Ugh… what's that wretched sound? Oh, of course. That damn alarm is going off again. I reach over and turn it off, ugh, that wordless noise is really starting to get on my nerves. I wasn't awake before it went off today because I was up late last night. I finished my homework last night; rather then do a little bit last night and a little bit this morning, or none last night and all of it today. Stupid Goggles was coming over today to 'talk' and I wasn't really in the mood right now, but then again, I was agitated because of the damn alarm. But now that it was off I felt good lying in bed. I couldn't remember the dream I had, but whatever; I felt good just lying in bed right now. I felt… safe. Yeah, safe. Safe was always a good thing for me. I could drift into a state of safe and be happy for a long enough time to forget about my worries, and problems in the world. The complications of being safe were few if any because safe was always with me, always there for me. Safe was there for me, before Renamon was. Safe was always… safe was… safe…

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"Listen buddy, I'm not going to argue with you. I don't care if the bread is day old, you can not return it!" I told a whack job of a customer.  
"That's it! I want to see your manager!" he responded.  
I considered telling him **I was** the manager… but if mom or dad found out they wouldn't be too happy with me. Manager… pleases, how about my parents buddy? I turned to face the back of the store and yelled, "MOM!"  
"I'm coming, Takato." She responded.

I turned around to see the expression on the guys' face, and he seemed a little confused. "It's a family business dope." I told him.  
Before he could respond, my mom walked in from the back. "What seems the problem?" she asked.  
"We've got a hustler, mom." I lied.  
"What!" the customer said.

"Really?" she asked me.  
"Yep, says the bread he bought was day old and wants his money back so he can buy his bread somewhere else." I said. "But I think he bought it yesterday and is bringing it back for the extra cash."

Haha, it was funny to play this guy out to be the bad guy. Fact was, since he didn't have a receipt he couldn't prove anything. I knew he had bought them today, I had rung it up, but he wasn't getting any extra cash. Our bakery gave back what ever you paid and 50 more for anything wrong with the bread you bought… as long as you had a receipt.

"Right," mom started. "Well sir, do you have a receipt?" She asked.  
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Put one down for the home team!  
"Well… no. But your son rung me up! He was the cashier!" he told her.  
"Takato, is this true?" she questioned me.  
"Nope." I replied.

The guys jaw dropped. He couldn't believe I had just lied. But hey… 50 back was just that much more cash lost.  
"I… I…" He didn't have anything to say.  
"Sir, without a receipt we can't give you back the refund you feel your entitled to." My mom told him.  
"Then… I'll just take my business else where." He said… but in a defeated voice.

He walked out the store and my mom looked me square in the eye. "So did you ring him up?" She demanded, rather then asked.  
"Yep." I replied without taking a seconds hesitation.  
"Ugh… Takato, Takato, Takato, what **are** we gonna do with you?" she said out loud.  
"Thank me, and give me a raise on my allowance." I replied.  
She laughed at this. "Just… don't do it again this month. You know your only allowed one of those per month." She reminded me.

I smiled and returned to my job, while she returned to the back of the store. It was good to be _slightly_ in charge.

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Where… where am I? I looked around, and saw my alarm clocks red figures lighting up 11:04. Holy crap, I must have fallen asleep again after turning off the alarm clock. I jumped up out of bed, and walked out of my bedroom and headed right for the laundry room and pulled out a towel, a pair of jeans, and a long sleeve shirt. The jeans were simple dark blue jeans, with a real tear at the kneecap where I had fallen before. The shirt was a shade of light red with streaks of white coming from each shoulder down the side of the shirt to just past about the elbow. There was nothing written on it, nor anything special about it. I headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I took out my toothbrush and toothpaste and began this tedious ceremony that jump-starts my day. So… I guess there won't be any breakfast today. Or maybe I'll just eat a late one… regardless… it's time to start the day.

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A/N: I'm not going to be filling in the shower scene so if that's what you're here for (sees one or two people leaving) then see ya around. Okay… I'm still into Rika's character so fast forward like… forty minutes? w/e.  
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I walked out of my room after getting changed, and took one last look at the clock… 11:47. Okay… so definitely no breakfast. Whatever. It sucks to sleep in, but I guess those extra few hours did me some good. I walked into the kitchen and realized neither grandma or mom were in here. Wait a minute… neither of them were here when I woke up… where the hell are they? I looked around the kitchen for a note like the one grandma had left me before, and couldn't find one. I began to search the house and still couldn't find one. I came back into the kitchen an noticed the 'message' light on the answering machine was blinking. "No… they didn't." I said out loud in disbelief. I walked over to it and turned it on, and the sound of my mother's voice filled the air around me.

"Rika honey, I hope your getting this. Your grandma and I had to run, and there was no time to leave a note. And neither one of us wanted to be responsible for waking you, oh honey, you looked so peaceful! Anyway, I had a photo shoot come up again unexpectedly! Isn't that great! Anyway, your Grandma decided to tag along because she has some friends she would like to visit in the area. It's out of town by the way. We should be home in time for dinner though! Okay, love you. Kiss, Kiss."  
"BEEEEEP. No more new messages. To replay this message-"

I unplugged the machine and plugged it back in to save myself the few seconds I would have had to waste listening to it go through it's order. Hmm… no mom or grandma. What should I do? I heard my stomach growl and so there was no chance of an argument for anything else other then- eat! I pulled out anything that looked good and began to decide what to eat.

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I watched as the clock inched upward. 30 seconds… … … 15 seconds… 10… 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Quitting time! "Whoo-ho!" I yelled running out the back of the store and up the stairs to my room. I was half way up the stairs before I heard my mom complain, "Oh no. It's 3 o'clock!" I pulled off my work clothes and threw on a pair of jeans along with a black shirt, on the back it read, "You are what you are player."  
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A/N: What? Takato can't be gangsta as sh/t? God bless Jay-Z.  
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I grabbed my CD player, headphones, and the closest CD. Without even looking at it, I stuck it in the CD player, and turned it on. I waited a few seconds for the song to start and heard the song start up,

_Bones, sinking like stones,  
All that we fought for,  
Homes, places we've grown,  
All of us are done for._

Ah, Coldplay. This is a good song I thought to myself. I changed songs because I liked the second song better, but instead I got a pleasant surprise . . .

_I think I'll go home and mull this over  
Before I cram it down my throat  
At long last it's crashed, the colossal mass  
Has broken up into bits in my moat._

This wasn't a Coldplay CD; this was the Garden State soundtrack! This soundtrack's awesome! I hadn't actually ever seen the movie… but the soundtrack kicks ass. I have the movie, but I haven't gotten around to watching it. Oh well. I set the song back on the first and walked down stairs.  
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A/N: I really do love this soundtrack. It is one of the few things I do own. I mean… holy crap. I have the CD but it's not mine. Anyway, moving along.

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"Mom, I'm going out." I yelled to the back of the store.  
"Where to?" She yelled back.  
"The park." I responded.  
"Be back before dinner!" She said.  
"Okay, I will." I said and walked to the front of the store, and out the door.

It was gonna take a long time if I was just gonna walk to Rika's house, rather then running there. But I had the comfort of Zero 7 (A/N: not mine!), and others to keep me busy. I crossed the street and headed towards the park. Hmm… today is MUCH better then yesterday.

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Hmm, Three-fifty, goggles should be here soon. I wonder what he's still got on his mind that he wants to talk about? I mean isn't it enough that we talked yesterday? It's not like… were… friends? Are we? I mean we sort of are… we were. Way back then, but can we just become friends again just like that? Whatever. He's a nice guy… but he sure is stupid. He was stupid back then too. I wonder why we really stopped talking? A phone call is no reason to stop friends from being friends… is it? Well-

_Knock Knock Knock _

And there he is. I walked two steps to the door and opened it. He had gotten cleaned up since yesterday. He had jeans, a plain black shirt on, and headphones blaring. For some reason I could hear the tune (because it was so loud), I recognized it, but again, it sounded like the noise from my alarm clock. "What are you listening to?" I yelled over the headphones as he stepped inside.

"Let Go, by Frou Frou," He said. "You wanna?" he asked me, pointing to the headphones.  
"Sure" I said. 'Let Go… sounds fami… oh yeah! This was once again another song I knew and liked but couldn't remember.  
He took of the headphones and put them on my head, and restarted the song.

"_Drink up baby down  
Are you in or are you out?  
Leave your things behind  
'Cause it's all going off without you"_

"It's nice." I said, handing him back his headphones.  
"Thanks." He replied. "So what's going on?" he asked following me into the kitchen.  
"Not much, goggles. I kind of slept in today, and missed breakfast." I told him.  
"Really. Well I haven't eaten anything all day either. I had a little hassle with a rude customer at the bakery today, but anyway. It's a great day outside." He mentioned.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said back.  
"So you've never heard that song, before now?" he asked me.  
"Nope." I lied. "But it's nice." I added.  
"Yeah." He replied. "So where's your mom? And grandma?" he asked.  
"Gone." I said. "Photo shoot, out of town, grandma's friends, back just before dinner." I gave him the short-handed version.

"And they didn't take you?" he asked.  
"I was asleep… and I doubt I would have wanted to go even if I had been awake." I said.  
"Why not? It could be an adventure! Way out of town, you get to see a part of the city you've never seen before!" He jeered. "I mean, it could be so-"  
"No offense, goggles, but I know I wouldn't want to have gone." I said, just to shut him up.

"Oh… okay." He said in a very defeated voice.  
"So, you wanted to talk." I said.  
"Nope. I just said I wanted to come back around four-ish." He said.  
What? I gave him a confused look.  
"Nah, I'm just kidding. Of course I want to talk." He responded to my look of confusion.  
"So how is school going for you?" he asked me.  
"All right… I could be doing better. Or be trying to make friends… but nah." I said.

"Haha. I'm doing all right. If you think D's through B's are 'all right'. I think they are, but my parents don't." He said.  
"Sound's alright to me." I said to him.  
I felt a smirk beginning to creep onto my face, but I put it down. "So um, you never really got into how your summer was." I said.

He paused for a moment… a moment too long. I looked up at him and he was obviously in deep thought, probably trying to come up with a lie. "What's the matter, goggles? Cat got your tongue?" I asked.  
Busted again, twice in two days. "How was your summer, Goggles?" I asked with seriousness in my voice.  
"Okay… I can't lie again. You're too good at telling when I am. My summer was… really fun." He admitted… again sounding defeated.  
"And why is that?" I asked, still with the seriousness.

"Because I hung out with the entire gang all summer." He said, sounding the most defeated yet. "Listen, I'm really sorry we never gave you a call. Its just that… after the whole thing you kind of just fell of the map." He said.  
"A phone call, and about a mile isn't any reason to leave a 'friend' out of anything, you dope." I scolded him.  
"Yeah, I see that now." He said.  
"Good, now next time you won't forget." I said. I remembered I had to let him slide for what he did yesterday… but I only had to let him slide once.

He looked up at me with a look of as if Christmas had come early. "So, what does that shirt of yours say anyway? If anything?" I asked.  
"Oh," he said, and turned around to show me the back.  
" _'You are what you are player.'_ Wow. I didn't know you were from the streets, Goggles." I mocked him.

He laughed a bit at this. "Oh, you don't know my alter-ego?" he asked. "By day I'm just Takato. By night, I become the great Christopher Wallace!" he responded.  
I couldn't help but laugh at this. "I have to admit, Goggles, you're good at making fun of yourself." I said.  
"Well, if you can't laugh at yourself, life is gonna seem a whole lot longer then you want it to." He said.  
"Whoa… Whoa… back it up. What did you just say? I've never been able to laugh at myself…" I confessed, again before I could stop myself from doing so.

"Really? Never" he asked, and I shook my head.  
"Well… let's see. Your too serious." He said.  
"Excuse me?" I said, thunder in my voice.  
"You see! You took that way too serious! You need to loosen up a little bit." He pointed out.  
I thought about it a second… "I guess so." I said, in a flattened kind of voice.  
"Anyway, what else can we talk about?" He said.

And then I heard it… my mother's car pulling up to the driveway. I turned to the clock. It was only 4:32. (A/N: Yeah, time sure does fly in my stories) They shouldn't be home by now. Should they? Takato turned to the door, and I was frozen on the spot. Mom didn't know I had a guy friend coming over the past two days.

"Hey is that-" he started  
"Yeah, my mom and grandma, I said moving towards the front door, and locking it quickly. I turned back to Goggles.  
"Hey, why'd you lock the door? Don't they need to come through that door?" he started to walk towards me… towards the door.  
He reached for the knob, but I put myself between the door and him. I gave him a straight look that if he read into it, which I'm sure he did, would tell him I was a _'little' …_afraid.

"What's going on…" he asked me.  
"My mom will never let me live it down that I had a guy here when she wasn't home… no matter who it was." I told him. "So you mind going out the back way?" I asked.

He smiled, and I felt the door knob twitch, and then my mother talking.  
"Rika! Rika are you in there? Hurry honey, the doors locked." She yelled.

I gave him another look of fear in my eyes, and he smiled again before turning heels and heading for the back door. I quickly followed, making sure not to make too much noise, as to alert my mother that I was walking **away** from the door. He opened the door, and let himself out, and turned around. "Once you let them in I'll head out. But I'm coming back tomorrow whether or not your mom's home." He told me. "We didn't even talk about me!" he gave me a fake look of unhappiness and his tone was of sarcastic upset.

"Right. Tomorrow we'll talk all about you and Crazy girl… I mean, who talks to their hand?" I said.  
He opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it, opened it again, and closed it again, then finally said, "I… don't… know…"  
I laughed at this, and closed the door. He waved again, and this time I returned the favor. I turned around, ran to the front door, and opened it to my mom and grandma.  
"Oh, Rika dear! It was **fantastic**!" my mother said.

I let them both in, then watched as Takato ran away, back to the park. I red the back of his shirt one more time, smiled, and turned around closing the door. "Tell me all about it mom."  
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**"TAKATO MATSUKI! YOU ARE SO BUSTED!"  
Yikes! Two days in a row I was late home from the park. Mom's REALLY pissed.  
"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME? AM I NOT A GOOD MOTHER TO YOU?" she asked me.  
"Ugh… yeah mom… you're great . . . it's just that…" I started. But there was no point in telling her the truth. She probably wouldn't believe me anyway. Or think any innocence of me going to a girl's house, when neither her mother nor grandmother were home.  
"I lost track of time." I said. That lie wasn't going to work… especially since I used it yesterday too . . . . ..  
"LOST TRACK OF TIME?"  
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A/N: Chapters not over, were going ahead of time to the next day at the end of school!  
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"Takato!" I heard someone whisper near by.  
I looked around and saw it was Henry. "What?" I asked.  
"You wanna hang out at the park after school today?" he asked me.  
Uh-oh. "Umm… I can't." I lied. "I'm busy." I told the truth.  
"With what?" he asked.

I can't get busted again, they won't believe me if I told them I was going to Rika's and they wouldn't like it much if I was blowing them off for Rika. "Being grounded." I lied.  
"Ah! What you do?" Kazu asked behind me.  
"I was home late from the park on Saturday and Sunday." I said.  
"How'd you pull that one off?" asked Henry.  
Ugh… very nosey, these people are. "I lost track of time, okay!" I said… a little too loudly.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a volunteer to solve the next equation." Said the teacher. "Takato?"  
I looked up at the board. '4x4+10x2-52x 0 solve for** x**' I thought about it for a few seconds…  
"The answer is 2." I said.

"No, Mr. Matsuki… I'm afraid the answer is (she looked down at her book) 2. . . hey, wait a minute."  
Rrrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrrring!  
"Thank you! Thank you!" I said to everyone after the final bell had rung.

I packed up my book bag, and someone came to stand next to me. I stuffed the last paper away and looked up to see… Jeri?  
"Hey Takato. I just wanted to say…"  
"Nope, can't talk now Jeri, gotta run."  
"But Takato-"  
"Hey! Maybe we'll have some time to chat later, but right now I gotta fly. See ya." I said walking away.

I was headed home, I needed to do some homework and leave my stuff behind, but after that… after that I was going straight to Rika's.

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A/N: Ta da! La, la, la, la, la! I know I had to many 'A/N:' in that story… but can you blame me? (Sees the people shaking head and pointing fingers at me) :( Whatever. I don't need you. I don't need this!… okay yeah I do. And I need you. You wonderful people! I love you guys! Anyway… I couldn't leave the story off on a Takato running away moment, so I added a Takato walking away moment! He sees Jeri's not the only girl out there and walks away from her, holding his head up high! So, does anyone but myself like how I ended this chapter? I know it was kind of cheesy, that last line, but you gotta give me some credit… it sounded awesome in my head when I thought of it. By the way, if you don't believe me, 2 really is the answer to the math problem. The way I wrote it I made it seem like Takato is some kind of math genius. How do I know the answers 2? Because I made the problem by starting from x2.

But anyway. I started this chapter at like 9 at night and was still writing right through midnight and was pissed that I couldn't finish it at by one (I got done at two.) It was just a really long chapter to write. Excuse me for the 'You are what you are player.' Slogan on the back of his shirt. I don't own that either. I was trying to think of controversial slogans that weren't too long and I figured Takato could be gangster like that, so I looked up famous hip hop sayings and came across this one. Hey, it was either that or "I'd rather live enormous, then die dormant." (both by Jay-Z) so I chose the better of the two.

Oh, if you didn't notice yet (because I didn't notice it until I finished this chapter) but all of the songs I've been putting on either have lyrics, or titles that are in some way, shape, or form a little bit relevant to what is going on in the story. See chp.2 "Caring is Creepy", hello… Rika 'caring is creepy.' This chapter, 'Don't Panic' by Coldplay, the last line of the song, hello, 'Oh, all that I know, there's nothing here to run from, 'cause, yeah, everybody here's got somebody to lean on.' Not mine either, but 'somebody to lean on'. Hello, friends, trust. Are we getting anything people? Btw, that second song on the soundtrack is Caring is Creepy also. And 'Let Go', the title says it all. Come on people, that's too awesome. I haven't been choosing them purposely… okay maybe a little purposely. I just got the Garden State soundtrack for my birthday and I wanted to put the songs on here. But the lyrics and titles are all coincidental. Oh, I have seen the Garden State movie… like 18 times. Haha… I love it so much. Maybe I should add that as a chapter? Where they watch it together? It's awesome. If you've ever seen it you know what I'm talking about… if not, then you better rent it/buy it/borrow it/steal it, what ever you gotta do to watch it, because it **will change your life**. Anyway, moving along. I need the reviewers opinion… what do you guys think of me starting every chapter off with something weird? I started with the autumn leaves (he that's the name of the story), then I did the melody of music, and this chapter it was being safe. I've got the next one lined up, and I kind of foreshadowed it earlier in this chapter, but I want your opinion, should I keep starting chapters off with those kind of things? Yeah I know this chapters one sucked, but the first two were really good, I think… at least the first one was. Oh, I came across a very nice Rukato video of recent. Go to and just search for 'Digimon Rika" and it will come up. It's entitled 'Rika AMV- Digimon Tamers' and its worth the watch. I'm about 95 sure it's a Rukato (look at what someone posted as a comment for the unsure 5). Oh, and you can see my comment! I couldn't get Notorious P.A.T. on so instead I have "LivinAMovie". If you don't like that video then go type in "Rika's Anything But Ordinary". Its nice, but sadly, the creator is a . . . (tears begin to come out) a . . . a Ryo/Rika fan! There, I said it. Don't make me say it again! Ugh… it's nice and you have to pay attention to catch it, but I thought it was cute. That one is based on "Anything But Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. Okay, buh-bye.

Love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	4. Tuesdays With Rika

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A/N: Welcome, to my favorite chapter yet! You guys are really gonna love this one. Notice there will be no 'A/N:' at the end of this chapter. I can't wait for you guys to read this one! Also, in honor of school starting again I'll be posting the next chapter up- tomorrow! Okay, no more! Remember, no author's note at the end of this one, the next chapter goes up tomorrow, and I'm gonna try and not have too many disclaimers! So enjoy! Love and be loved. Read… and review please.

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Tuesday's With Rika

You know those dreams… where you're running? And no matter how fast, or how hard, or how quick you run, you just can't seem to get away from who ever is chasing you? And when finally you feel like you can't run anymore, the person catches you. And then you find out the person whose chasing you is someone who you love, or someone you hold dear, who you can't help but help feel anger, that they betrayed you by making you run so hard, when it was only them? And you feel betrayed by them, and then in the dreams… if you're asleep long enough, that person does something to you. It's usually stab you, or do something to hurt you? I have those kinds of dreams… all the time. They don't scare me, but they seemed to be a warning of when someone is going to do something that makes them untrustworthy. And it always happens . . . always. It's always been-

"Ms. Nonaka! Ms. Nonaka!" I heard from a far off distance.

It was my pathetic excuse for a teacher. I peeled my eyes from the window and looked at her.

"Yes, Mrs. Wilks." I said.

"Ms. Nonaka, I'm sorry we are boring you with class, but would you please try to pay attention." She said.

No, I thought. "Yes, Mrs. Wilks." I replied.

"Good, now would you mind answering the problem." She asked me.

I took a deep breath, stole a glance at the clock, 10 seconds was all I had to stall. "Umm, I'd love to answer the problem on the board Mrs. Wilks," she smiled at this, "but sadly (Rrrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrrring!) that's the final bell." I said, standing up to pack up my bag. I was packed, and out the door before she could ask to see me.

I walked home and had a good time doing it. Day dreaming at the end of class was a great way to end the day. I came to a stop at cross walk when the other cars were passing. Hmm… in a few years that will be me in a car at the red light. Well a few years was gonna have to wait for now, as I started to cross when the light changed.

When I finally got home, I barely got into the house five seconds before mom literally ran me over. As I walked through the door, I bent down to put down my book bag, and my mom came speeding from the kitchen and ran me over, falling over herself.

"Sorry dear, I have to run. I'm very late for a photo shoot." She said.

"Surprise, surprise." I said.

"I won't be home till very late tonight, so don't wait up for dinner. Your grandma went to that bakery across town to get some bread and then some other food for you two for dinner. She said something reminded her of the store." She told me.

I smiled at this, remembering how she had told me and goggles about the 'good bread' at Goggles family owned bakery. Goggles? Oh right, he was coming over again today. That reminded me, "Hey, when is grandma coming home?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure honey, probably late four, early five ish." She said. "Okay, kiss, kiss. Love you, bye!" she said going out the door.

The door closed and I said "Yep." I went into the kitchen and looked at the clock. 3: 33… no 3:34. Goggles would be here soon I guess. It was probably gonna be a little bit after four though, I thought. I flopped into a chair at the kitchen table and put my book bag down. I pulled out a few books, and checked out what I had for homework. Hmm… a paper due on Friday, two pages of math problems for tomorrow, some crap in world cultures, and a thesis for the science experiment we'd be doing on Thursday. Well… I better get started.

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"Ah ha! I win again!" I yelled.

"Oh man, c'mon show some mercy Kazu, why not go a little easy on me for once?" Kenta asked me.

"No way chumly. How many wins in a row is that now?" I asked.

"Three hundred and ninety-two." He replied.

"And the records?" I mocked.

"(Deep breath) Three hundred and ninety-two to zero." He responded.

I laughed. But my laughter was cut short. Did I? No, that's impossible. Wait, there he is again. Where's he going? What's he doing in the park? I thought he was grounded. "He Kenta, what time is it?"

"Umm, five of four." He responded.

"That's definitely not time Takato was allowed out." I said, pointing to him.

Kenta turned around and saw what I was seeing. "Hey, what's he doing here?" he asked me.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." I responded. Hmm… Takato blowing off Henry, and me, lying point blank to our faces, and walking in pure day light in the middle of the park, when he's suppose to be 'grounded.' I didn't like it… I didn't like it one bit.

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I knocked on Rika's front door; I was only like ten minutes late. She opened the front door. "Come on in" she said.

"Hey there." I said " . . . Whoa! Dress code alert." I pointed out to her.

She looked herself down, looked back at me and gave me a look of pure… well… it was bad.

"I started my homework, and didn't get a chance to get changed. You sure did hustle over here, didn't you." She said, leading me into the kitchen. Various books were spewed on the table, but there was a clear area free of books where she had obviously been doing her homework. It was a pad of paper, with a pen, and what looked like a social studies book. As we sat down opposite each other she started back on whatever it was she was doing before I came in.

"Really, I just got a page of math to do, and a paper due in like 2 and a half weeks, but its gotta be pretty long." I told her.

"So ah, what math are you doing." I asked when she didn't respond.

"Trinomials." She said. (A/N: God I have no idea what math I was doing in 8th grade!)

"Really? So is my class. Pretty easy, right?" I said.

"Yeah, sure." She responded, unconvincingly. But I wasn't going to push it.

"Yeah, I did hustle over here. Since you mentioned it." I told her. "Because, today… it's all about me, and crazy girl. As you so affectionately named her."

"She's got a lot of problems in the head." She said, not bothering to look up.

"She came to talk to me today." What! I can't believe I just let that slip, I was planning on not telling her that.

"Really." she said. It sounded like she had . . . expected it?

"Yeah. She wanted to talk at the end of the day, but I told her I had to run." I said.

She looked up at me from doing her homework. "Really? You said that to her?" she asked.

"Umm… yeah. I think I said something about not having the time to stop and chat." I said.

She smiled and went back to her work. "Good for you." She said.

'Good for me?' I thought this over for a second; then decided that actions speak louder then words. I grabbed the pad she was writing on and pulled it away from her.

"Goggles… I've got homework to do." She said… more like warned.

"Good, so do I, but I'd rather talk now." He said.

"Talk about **what**?" She asked me. "I'm not in the mood."

"Why?" I asked. I knew there had to be the nice Rika, I had come to known over the past two days, even if she wasn't here just yet.

"Because I'm just not." She said.

"Well too bad, were talking, and not about me anymore. Let's talk about you, and you changing."

"I don't have to be trying to change every moment of everyday, ya know." She said, her voice raising, as if ready to argue.

"I realize that, but you don't have to go back to being a jerk in between." I said, lowering my own voice in hopes to lower the level of noise. "I want you to be a nice person, because I like that side of you. I've been seeing that side of you the past two days, and I really saw it yesterday when your mom came home." I said.

"I like that side a lot. And I like…" I trailed off.

She gave me a questioning look, as if imploring me to go on. "I like coming here to talk to you… because it seems to be what I need to do," I said, the words seeming to just come to me on the spot. "especially since I felt like less then nothing after Jeri told me she wanted to be just friends. Because… you've been that to me." I said. "You've been… just my friend. You've been listening to me and comforting me." I admitted.

"I don't think you quite realize how much it meant to me when you told me there were plenty of other girls out there for me. When you told me girls liked me, and that I was stupid… but I was going to be alright."

She didn't say anything, so I decided to go on. "Being here for me these past two days, being my friend, they have been two of the best days I've had in a long time." I said. "I had been dreading telling Jeri how I felt for a long time. Ever since last June the idea had been on my mind, to tell her. To tell her how I felt, that I cared a whole lot about her. But the right time never seemed to present itself, so I waited, and waited, and waited until I couldn't wait any longer." I said.

"Up until the last few moments before I told her, I had been so sure she would feel the same. Then I began to get doubts. My head started coming up with ideas, situations… possibilities if she didn't feel the same. But nothing could have prepared me for how I felt after she actually told me no. I lost full control. I was running blind in rain, being engulfed by it, . . . being swallowed in a sea of rain! And then… then you came along. You thought I was a stranger, and you still offered a helping hand. You were so nice, and I respected that about you, that you were being a nice person. And then I got to see that side of you again yesterday, and it was like I was meeting you for the first time, all over again. But when you stood between me and that door yesterday, and I saw the _teeniest_ bit of fear of losing that reputation you had worked so hard to get of being the tough girl. It was then that I knew you were being the nicest you could be. Because the old Rika wouldn't have shown fear… she wouldn't have shown anything. Because the old Rika thought she didn't need emotions." I finished. And without even realizing it, somewhere in my speech I had achieved total eye contact.

We sat in silence for a few moments… just looking into each other's eyes. I felt… weird. I felt… good. I felt…

"Thanks goggles." She said.

I thought a second and said, "For what dear?"

She smiled and laughed. But… it was the best smile I had ever seen her give. It wasn't a simple smirk, or reverse from her frown and then right back to the frown she had been giving me these past days. No this one was different. It was a smile that cut right through the air in the room, so that I couldn't help but smile back. Once she realized she was giving me this smile though, she hid it right away. Like a dog that buries a bone that it prizes so much, because it doesn't want anyone else to have its prize or to even see it.

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A/N: I don't mean to compare Rika to a dog here people… I just thought it was a really good analogy.

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"So… um… do you want something to drink? Or eat?" she asked, getting up from the table, breaking the eye contact, and walking towards the fridge.

" . . . I thought you'd never ask." I said.

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A/N: Wow, I loved that scene. Anyway, that's the end of Monday, I'm gonna write him leaving, but I need them to have SOMETHING to talk about on Tuesday. Btw, Tuesday's with Rika is suppose to be a spin off of the book title "Tuesday's with Morrie." Only mine's better.  
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"So I'll definitely see you tomorrow then?" she asked me.

"Yep. Same time." I replied.

"Okay, until then." She said.

"Adios, amigos." I said.

"Bye Goggles." She replied.

Well… that was fun. After a little food and a few jokes, it was 5 o'clock and about time to head home. I still had homework to do I thought, and I picked up the pace a little. Not a run… but certainly not a walk.  
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A/N: Fast forward a bit to the end of school the next day… ugh 3 authors notes in less then like 20 lines… that's not good.

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"So, Takato. Done being grounded yet?" Someone asked behind me.

"What? Nope, why do you ask Kazu?" I asked him

"No reason… just wondering when your going to be able to come back and play cards." He said.

"Hmm… I'm not sure. My mom said it's open ended, so she can pull the plug when ever she wants." I lied.

"Oh, okay." He said. "You let us know when your free, okay." He said.

"I will." I lied, again.

The final bell rang and everyone got ready to leave again. I packed my bag, and got ready to head out, when someone came to my side again.

"Takato before you-"

"Before I walk out on you talking to yourself, again?" I said, looking her in the eye before walking away again.

"Takato!" she yelled to me. "Don't do this!"

I kept walking away, but some of the people I passed shot me some strange looks.

"Hold up buddy." A familiar blue hared boy said stepping in my way before I could get out into the hall.

"Hold up what, Henry?" I said. "Please, stand aside, I'm in a rush if you didn't notice?" I said.

"A rush for what? If I was you, I'd be less then eager to get home, where I'm grounded, then stay and dawdle here and talk to my friends." He said.

"It's easy to judge, what you do not know." I said as I walked around him.

I could tell I had left them in shock, and confused, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to stick around and listen to Jeri talk about this or that, and I wasn't about ready to take sh/t from Henry. I had a bad feeling they were gonna know I wasn't grounded now. They'd probably come around the bakery and ask to talk to me, and my mom would tell them I'm out. They'll ask why I wasn't grounded and she'll tell them I never was. So I guess tomorrow was gonna be hell. But hey . . . that's tomorrow. Today I didn't have any homework, and I had a friend to talk to, who I knew wasn't going to question everything I did.

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"So you got the camera?" I asked.

"Yep, Kazu." Kenta replied.

"Good. Were gonna need it." I said.

"Why? What are we filming?" he asked.

"Takato." I said.

"What? How? Why?" he asked again.

"Were gonna follow him where ever he goes and record where he's going. That way we'll know, and so will everyone else." I replied.

"Aw man, this doesn't feel right." He said.

"Shut up, look, there he is!" I said in excitement.

He was running, he must be late for whereever he wasn't suppose to be. "C'mon, if you zoom in, we can follow at a pretty good distance." I said.

So, we followed him, for about 10 minutes we followed him while he ran on the pavement and we ran on the sides and hid behind trees and in the woods on either side. Until finally he got to the other side of the park, where he crossed the street and knock on the front door of someone's house. Sadly, whoever's house it was let him in before we could see who it was.

"This house looks familiar." I said. "Lets go home and get the name of the person who lives at that address's house."

"Why? We know who lives here?" Kenta said.

"What? We do?"

"Yeah, you don't remember?"

"No! Who is it?" I eagerly asked.

"That's Rika Nonaka's house, remember?"

"Hey… that's right!" I exclaimed. "So Takato's been blowing us off for… Rika Nonaka… wait, what? That can't be right."

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"Come on in, Goggles." I said.

"Thanks, sorry I'm really late today." He apologized.

"Nah, your fine. But now that you mention it, why are you behind?" I asked.

"Ugh, Henry and Jeri held me up today." He said.

"Jeri try to talk to you again?" I asked.

"Yep. And Henry's trying to figure out…" his voice trailed off.

Ouch! Busted again! "Trying to figure out what, goggles? Where you've been going?" I asked.

"Yeah…" he said in his infamous defeated voice.

"Well… I do have to let you slide once more, so there you go, you're last time." I said.

"Shoo… thanks." He said.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go into the kitchen. Oh, my mom's home by the way." I said.

"Awesome!" he said.

He led the way to the kitchen, but the trip wasn't so smooth for me. After he had turned the corner into the kitchen, my mother came down the hall.

"Rika dear… I have to tell you. To save you from many future broken relationships." She said, I had stopped dead in my tracks, and so did Goggles… only my mom couldn't see him.

"The only thing men want is sex!" she said.

HOLY CRAP! I couldn't say anything. I was too shocked that she had even said this to me! But what she didn't know, was that Goggles was just around the corner! He had heard what I had heard…

"Rika dear? Are you okay?"

"I… umm… I" I couldn't form a sentence. My vocal cords had failed me. What was Goggles gonna think of this? Was he gonna…

"I ugh… beg to differ." Said a certain idiot hidden out of site.

My mother looked at the wall. "Rika? Who was that?" she said. Walking just past me, to where she could see past the corner to the other side of the wall.

"Hello, Mrs. Nonaka." He said.

"Oh… oh my. Hello dear… umm and you are-"

"Mom! This is ah…-"

"Bruce Wayne, nice to meet you miss." He said.

My mother laughed at this. "Bruce Wayne? Well Bruce, it is nice to finally meet The Batman!" she gave a fake enthusiastic smile.

"Well, my friends call me Batman, but technically, according to this whole like 'legal name' business, my alias is 'Takato Matsuki.' But I don't know what that's all about." He joked.

"Oh! That's right, I've heard of a Takato Matsuki. Where do I know you from? And what are you doing in my house?" she asked.

I was afraid she was gonna ask him to leave, so I had to intervene. "Umm, mom… Takato is my friend."

"Actually, I'm just here for the brownies." He said, picking up one of my grandma's brownies she had just finished making, and holding up like a prize. (A/N: think of the Bud Light commercials.)

Again my mother laughed. "This one's funny Rika."

"Thank you." He said.

"Mom… umm… Takato's been coming over since Saturday, and we've been talking for like, an hour. That's all." I confessed.

"You mean he was here on Sunday, when neither I, nor your grandma, were home?" she said.

I was afraid she was going to say that, I had no way around it. "Yeah." I said.

She gave me a stern look, and here came the beat down. Where she was going to kick Takato out of the house and spend the rest of the day yelling at me about this or that.

"Well… I'm afraid what your thinking is completely wrong." Takato said to my mother.

"Excuse me, young man?" she said.

"Yeah. Well it's like what you just said, yourself." He said. "If the only thing I want is sex, why would I be here now? I mean if you're thinking we 'did it' on Sunday, why would I be here two days later? Why would I have bothered to come back, yesterday?" he asked her.

She didn't reply. "Which is exactly why… I beg to differ." He said, taking a bite out of the brownie.

"Mr.-"

"Matsuki." He said.

"Mr. Matsuki, would you-" (here it comes) "like to stay for dinner?"

"What?" I asked.

"I would love to Mrs. Nonaka!" he said. "But, if you don't mind. I need to call my mom and tell her I won't be home for dinner at home." He said.

"Not a problem." She said.

"What?" I said in a defeated voice of my own.

Takato walked over to the phone, and that left my mother and me alone. "Rika…"

"Yes, mom."

She looked at Takato on the phone, "I like this one…" she said, smiling. "Don't let him get away."

I didn't say anything, but she smiled and walked into the kitchen herself. Leaving me standing in the hall, dumbstruck by the incredible outcome that had resulted from what seemed like a doomed catastrophe from the moment it began. Takato had just basically sweet talked his way into my mother's favor and kept me out of any trouble at all. WOW!

While on the phone, Takato seemed to have a little trouble communicating that he was at a girl's house to his mother, or the fact that he'd been going there every day since Saturday, and that was why he had been late home everyday. Apparently she didn't believe it until she talked to my mom on the phone, then she believed it. Quite the sigh of relief to know Takato had talked his way into my mother's favor… quite the sigh of relief. So I guess we were gonna have some more time to talk today?

Dinner couldn't have possibly gone better. I was just glad I was allowed to eat anything at all. I was so sure of how my mom was gonna react, so sure she wasn't going to giving me anything to eat for dinner, so sure she was going to be fighting with me until I finally gave up and lied that I wouldn't talk to Takato ever again. So sure… that I was still in shock that he was still able to crack jokes with me and with my mom, that we could laugh at all the way through dinner. Dinner seemed to never end… I mean we had stopped eating, but we were still talking at the table after dinner. It was a great evening, we lost track of time. Finally, my mom looked at the clock and said, "Oh my! It's 8:30! You have to be getting home soon! Come along dear, I'll get my keys and give you a ride back home."

"No! Don't bother yourself, it's only a walk through the park." He said.

"No, it's much too dark. You need a ride home."

"No, with rising gas prices, save yourself the time and money!" he said.

"Oh, are you sure?" she asked him.

"Of course! If I run fast enough, I can be home in a half hour, sweat off the fat I got from this dinner, and be home by nine!" he exclaimed.

"Well… if your sure." She said.

"I'm positive." He assured her.

"Alright, Rika, if you will, show him the way out." She said to me.

"Sure." I said.

I motioned him to follow me to the door. I opened the door for him to go out, but before he did, he said, "Thanks for dinner, it was awesome. Your mom's great."

"No, you were awesome. You have no idea how much trouble you kept me out of." I said.

"That's another sign of the nice Rika, you care that you would have been in, and more importantly, that your out of trouble." He said.

"Okay, whatever, just get out of here." I said.

"Bye" he said, walking down the steps and down the concrete path.

"Bye." I said back.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Tune your radio into channel 197.8 (A/N: made up) the Seagull. At nine o'clock, they're having a Shins block. 15 minutes straight!" He exclaimed.

"I will. Safe journey home." I said.

"Yep." He said, walking away.

So I walked back into the house, where my mom and I talked while cleaning up the dishes. She turned onto the radio while we were doing them, and once again I heard the wordless noise… which scared me. But she told me the song and once again… I could hear.

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Do-do-do-do-dodo! That sure was a fun time at Rika's house, I thought on my walk home. Hmm… I better pick up the pace if I want to get home in time for that block. _ splash splash splash splash _ Awww man… it's starting to rain! I better really hurry up now. I started to run full speed, until I tripped over my own feet. Ouch! I must have scraped my knee. _ splash splash splash splash splash splash _. Ugh, the rain is really starting to come down hard. I started to get up. _ splash splash splash **CRACK!** splash splash splash _. What was that? Was that… a branch cracking? No… I'm hearing things. _ splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash crack splash splash splash splash splash splash crack splash splash splash _. Okay… I definitely just heard a branch crack. But from which direction? God, there's so much freaking rain, I can't see two feet in front of me. Where am I? "Who… whose there?" I asked to the rain? _ crack crack crack _ "Who… WHOSE THERE?" I demanded to the rain. "Show yourself!" I yelled into nothing. **_ crack crack crack _** "**WHO ARE YOU!"** I yelled again. I know someone's there… someone's trying to get me. _** crack crack crack crack crack crack crack crack ** _"**WHERE ARE YOU?**" I heard nothing but felt someone behind me, just before I was blinded by the nothingness…


	5. Your Writing Your Tragedy

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A/N: Hello people! … Don't look at me like that! I loved the way I left the last chapter off! Some of you may have seen something of that sort coming, knowing I wasn't writing an 'a/n:' to end it. It was awesome, and you know it! Anyway, so wth happened to Takato? Read and find out. This is a romance… not an angst or a tragedy… tragedy? Hmmm I wonder. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
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Your Writing Your Tragedy

_Knock Knock Knock _Ugh… here comes the worst part of my job. Telling the parents of these kids.  
The front door opened and a small brown hared women came into view. "Oh, hello officer. Is they're anything the matter?" she said.  
"I'm afraid so miss… its… its about your son." I said.  
"What about him? Did he do anything wrong? No, he couldn't have, he's in his bedroom… asleep. He was coming home late last night so I didn't bother to stay up to see him in." She told me.  
"Well… I'm afraid I've got some very disturbing news then." I said.  
"You see your son… he… he's been…"

"_AAAAAAAAAHHH!_" the women screamed, and fell to her knees.  
"NO! It can't be… how could… why… when? Ah… ah… why my baby boy?" she began to cry.  
"I'm afraid we couldn't do anything for him when we found him. We called an ambulance but they weren't sure if they could do anything for him either." I told her.  
"You mean… he might…" her voice trailed off.  
"Yes… we can take you to the hospital he's at, you and your husband." I told her.

(A/N: Crap… what's his dad's name?) "Honey! Come here quick." She yelled.  
"What is it?" he said, helping her up from the ground. "Officer, what seems to be problem?" he asked me.  
"It's Takato… he's been…-"

Before I knew it we were in the car headed to the hospital 10 minutes away. I was wrong earlier… this is the worst part of my job, the suspense and fear in people built in on the ride to go see there loved one's.  
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"And so class… if you'll please take your seat, we will begin the day." The teacher said.  
"Hey everyone, real quick." Kazu called the gang back together.  
"What is it Kazu?" I asked. (A/N: notice I'm not specific on who 'I' is)  
"You're never gonna guess where Takato's been going the past few days."

"Kazu, if you knew any better, you'd be sitting in your seat. And I don't think you know where Mr. Matsuki is right now. Do you?" I teacher said, she had been listening to us.  
"What? You mean he's not here today." Kazu asked her.  
"No… his parents called the school to say he wouldn't be in today. Apparently… last night, he was-"  
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"Okay class, today we will be learning about World War I." The teacher said.  
"Now can anyone… yes, Ms. McMellen." She said.  
Everyone turned there head to see a girl of much younger age standing at the door, with a note in her hand. "Umm… Mrs. Wiks… the principal would like to see Rika Nonaka immediately." She said.

My head snapped up from its resting-place on my desk when I heard my name. "Very well, Rika you are excused." She said.  
I heard all the girls in the room 'ooh' as I got up and walked to the back door and left the classroom. 'What did I do this time?' I thought to myself. I haven't done anything wrong. Unless… unless Mrs. Wilks asked the principal to do this so I could get in trouble for being a problem at the end of yesterday? Ugh… if that's what this is about I'm gonna be pissed. I reached the principal's office and knocked. "Come in." she said.

"Ah! Hello Rika, how are you?" she asked me with a smile.  
I didn't return the favor. "Peachy, and yourself Mrs. Morton? (A/N: Name of my grade school principal)" I asked.  
"I'm fine… just fine." She said. She smiled at me… a very eerie smile, and just stared at me for a few seconds as I sat down.  
"Well Rika… it does seem that you have built up your reputation of being the tough girl, am I right?" she said rather then asked, but I still complied.

"Yes, I have built that up. But what does that have to do with anything?" I said.  
"Well… I received a phone call from your mother today." She said. "Not the other way around, mind you."  
"And?" I asked, what's going on here?  
"I'm afraid I have some very devastating news for you." she said.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds… she just gave me that smile and stare. "Well… what is it?" I finally asked.  
"Well… it seems that." She took of her glasses and cleaned them off. "Well… let me ask you this first, do you know a-" she looked down at a slip of paper. "Takato Matsuki?" she asked.  
What? What's going on… I don't like this. Not one tiny bit. "Yes. Yes, I do know him, why? What's he got to do with anything?" I asked.

"Your mother called and said that she received a call from his parents this morning. Apparently he never got home from your house last night." She said.  
"What? What are you trying to say?" I asked. A lump inside me began to try to blast it's way through my chest. "Is he… is he…" I couldn't form a sentence.  
"Rika… your boyfriend he's been…" she started.

"He's not my boyfriend." I came back to my senses.  
"Right, of course not. Rika… last night he was…" she stopped.  
"What! What? What happened to him? Was he attacked? Was he jumped… is he…? " I realized that lump trying to burst through was my heart… and it skipped a beat. Was he-

"No! Rika… the police found him this morning, covered in leaves off the sidewalk in the middle of the park, half dead and barely conscious." She said. "They still don't know what happened to him, but it looks like he's been mugged because all the money in his wallet was gone, and he was pretty bloodied up. The only reason the police knew who his parents were was because he had an school photo idea and a family bakery business card in the wallet." She told me.

I sat there in shock… mugged? He was mugged on his way home. But… my mom had offered him a ride home… he had insisted on running home. He had told her he would much better prefer to run home… was… "Is he going to be alright?" I choked out.

"They think so. He's in stable condition right now. The police originally treated it as a homicide because they were sure he was going to die on his ride to the hospital. Somehow though he pulled through. The police are waiting for him to return to full consciousness so they can question him about it." She said. "Your mother thought it was extremely important that you know this. And, we are willing to let you go home with her if you should choose to."

"Yes… please." I said out of my dry throat.  
"Very well, you'll have to go upstairs and sit through classes while I call your mother and while she's on her way over, but once she's here you may leave." She told me.

"Good day to you… and god speed to this," she checked her card again, "Mr. Matsuki."  
I left the room, and walked back to my classroom without another word. Mrs. Wilks asked me what Mrs. Morton had wanted and I simply told her nothing. A few long minutes later though, Mrs. Morton came upstairs and talked to Mrs. Wilks personally, out of the classroom. When she came back she told me that my mother was here and that I was free to leave.

I packed my book bag and slowly walked out of the classroom. Every minute seemed to last an hour, every second an minute. And after lunch at home mom took me to the hospital.

It was about 20 minutes away, and the car ride seemed to last an eternity. We didn't say much on the ride over there. I was afraid to say anything in fear that talking would only make the ride seem longer.

Forever seemed to pass before we were in the waiting room.

The clock seemed to be moving slower then ever in the waiting room. God! Why on earth was there a waiting room? It only seemed to move everything slower. Just when I thought I would die in the waiting room of old age, Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki came out to talk to us.

"He's gonna be alright! The police are talking to him right now about what exactly happened, but after that we can all go back in there and see him." Mr. Matsuki said.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry about all of this! It's all my fault. I offered him a ride home last night but he just kept saying how I shouldn't trouble myself, how it was only a half-hour run, if he ran fast enough! I should have never let him go!" my mom told them.

"No! No dear! It's not your fault. It's no one's fault but who ever actually attacked him." Mrs. Matsuki comforted her, they walked off to the seats in the corner and began to talk some more, which left me standing there with Mr. Matsuki.  
"It's been a long time since I last saw you Rika." he said to me.  
I looked at him. "Yeah. I'm so sorry this happened to him. I didn't mean-"

He hushed me. "Were you the one who attacked him?" he asked me, in a comforting way.  
"No. But-" I started.  
"Then you have nothing to be sorry about." He told me, and walked towards his wife, and my mom.

I was left standing there. That was all. I felt my heart swell up and I fought back tears, with all my might. I couldn't let them come… not in a time like this where you have to be strong. And being strong means standing tall, and holding your head high. But is that what Takato would want me to do? Stand tall and hold my head high… or would he want me to show some emotions and break down? I closed my eyes I just can't handle this damn waiting anymore. "Excuse me miss?" Said someone.

I opened my eyes and saw a small women standing in front of me. "Are you and those people here to see Mr.Matsuki? Because the police are done talking to him now, you can go in."  
I looked back at the group of parents by the window. "Umm. . . what room is he in?" I asked.

"113A." She said, "make the first left once you go through the double doors up ahead, a right at the end of the corridor, and it will be the second door on your right." She said.

"Thank you. Can you. . . um. . . tell them too." I asked, looking back at the parents.  
"Sure thing, miss." She replied.  
I walked until I was out of site of the nurse and parents, and then I ran as fast as I could through the double doors, to my first left, down the corridor, made a right and found it. "113A."

I opened the door slowly, and saw him lying there rolled over to the other side. I walked in, and a few feet from his bed he rolled over to see me. "Hey!" he exclaimed. God he looked bad. His nostrils were stuffed with cotton balls, which didn't seem to be doing any good as there was still a little blood leaking out. His legs were beaten up with bruises and cuts but it didn't seem that there was too much problem there. But his arms were the only part worse then his head. They seemed to be cut every which way up and down his arms, with bruises in every part that wasn't covered in cuts. But his head. . . ugh. He had bandages wrapped around the upper part of his head, where there seemed to have been a lot of blood coming out, there was a cut above his right eye, and another cut below his left eye.

And finally. . . after a so many years of battling emotions. . . I finally lost to them. I let the hot tears stream down my cheeks, my vision became blurred, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible for what had happened.

"I'm (sob) so sorry." I said through the tears.

He didn't need to say anything. With him I could cry. . . and only with him. I couldn't possibly cry around anyone else. It would show too much weakness. . . but he. . . he knew I was weak already. He knew I was different. . . and somehow he saw it as a good thing that I was crying.

He didn't have to say anything. . . but he did. "For what dear?""

I couldn't help but laugh at this. I couldn't believe that he could be so up beat, so happy, so optimistic in a time like this. Wasn't he worried? Wasn't he in pain? Didn't he want to get his revenge on who ever did this? Wasn't he afraid that they may never find who did this, and that justice would never be served to him? "Your incredible." I said.  
"If I was incredible I wouldn't be in this bed . . . if you want to call it that."

I laughed again, and gave him the smile that I had let slip two days ago. He had earned it this time. The first time it just seemed to slip right from under my nose . . . literally. I grabbed a tissue, and cleaned the tears off my face; our parents would be coming in any second now.  
"So… doesn't anyone else care about me or what?" he said.  
"They're coming." I said.

And sure enough, not even ten seconds later, the door opened and in burst his parents and my mother. "Takato!" his mother exclaimed, giving him a hug.  
"Watch it mom, according to the doc I only got a few ribs left and you're threatening to take them away from me." He joked.  
We all laughed at this. "Well son… what exactly happened?" his dad asked.

"Yeah…" I said from the corner (the room was really small) "what did happen?" I asked.  
"You guys really want to know?" he asked. "Because it was brutal and it hurt a lot."  
"If you don't, we'll just read about it on the front page of the paper tomorrow." I said.  
"Right… well it was raining, and I couldn't see two feet in front of me." He began.  
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"**WHERE ARE YOU?**" I heard nothing but felt someone behind me, just before I was blinded by the nothingness…

Steel met flesh, as I felt something heavy come crashing onto the top right part of my skull. I fell to my knees under the weight of this person climbing on top of me. I was loosing consciousness… and fast. I fought to get the person away from me… but what was the point? If I was gonna be unconscious then I couldn't possibly run away. Then I felt it… some one else flipped me over as I was attempting to crawl away. There were two people? No… a third party member picked me up and carried me back onto the concrete. They began to beat me with whatever it was they were carrying. Are they pipes?

They slammed the pipes against my chest several times until I finally fought back the person holding me. I pushed my feet off the ground and tried to move backwards and succeeded by falling over on top of them, they let go and I got up again… but before I was even on my feet I felt cold hard steel come in contact with my face flat out. I fell over and unconsciousness was imminent. I heard people talking but it was too indistinct, through the rain it was impossible to hear. I could still somewhat see, I could make out they're figures and see some of there faces, but it didn't last long. I was unconscious. . .

I awoke to the sound of two men talking they were saying something about dead. Me? Dead… no I had to let them no I was alive. I couldn't feel anything… I was so numb I thought I would die anyway. I couldn't open my eyes because I could feel blood spilling near them, but I could feel my feet… I kick with my right foot.

"Oh my God! Mike did you see that?" the first man said.  
"No what Jake?" said the man I guessed was Mike.  
"Did you see the boy, his foot moved." The man I figured was Jake said.  
I kicked again with all my might, and then again to show them I was alive and could hear them.

"Quick, call in an ambulance." Said Jake, and I heard him bend down towards me. "Son, kick again if you can hear me." He said.  
So I did, but I didn't think I was going to be able to do it much longer. I was so numb on every part of my body.  
"Okay, son. Don't move. I'm a police officer and so is my friend, we've called for an ambulance, so just try and stay with us. You can make it through this." He told me.

"Like fifteen minutes later I felt some people lifting me up and putting on a stretcher." He said. "They carried me into I guess the ambulance and took me here."  
"I'm guessing they put me under some gas because I was unconscious again for a while before I woke up in here. Not quite the scene I was hoping to see once my eyes were open again." He said.  
"I was hoping I was gonna wake up in my bed, and I had gotten home perfectly safe without any trouble… but nope. I got to see my parents crying and police men waiting for me to wake up."

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Everyone was quite for a while after he finished the story. I stared at the wall for as long as my eyes would take it. He kept looking up and down his ripped up arms, and our parents just sat in disbelief in the only three chairs in the room.  
"So… when am I going to be able to get out of here?" he broke the silence  
I looked up to see him smiling at everyone. I gave a smirk and went back to looking at the wall. "The Doctors don't know… but they're not going to let you go until they're positive you can walk out of here on your own two feet." His dad said.

"Oh, come on!" he said. "I can walk out of here on my own two feet right now." He said. He started to push off the bed to try and get up. Was he crazy? As he started to sit up, I moved closer to the bed and gently pushed him back into the bed by his shoulders.  
"Your gonna be all right… stupid… but all right all the same." I said.  
He smiled like never before, laughed, and forced himself back into the bed.  
"I won't be all right if this is what I'm gonna have to sleep on." He said. Once again… we all laughed.

Anyway, the next few weeks were kind of hectic. Mom would drive me to the hospital twice a week and she would go out and do what ever she wanted for an hour, then she would come back and get me and that would be it. He seemed to be getting better every time I went and saw him. Then, on the one month anniversary of his stay two great things happened… the first came before I went to the hospital. The police went public announcing they had caught the four guys that were responsible for beating Takato down. The second, was the doctors said Takato was free to go.

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A/N: Okay. . . I know it would take forever for him to actually recover from something like that. . . but for the sake of moving the story along he's gonna get better one month later. If you no like, well too bad :-p  
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Once the doctors said he could leave, you could see his eye's light up with happiness. He got right up, got to the door, and down to halfway through the long corridor, before his knees buckled. I moved to help him up, but he stopped me.

"No! I can do this."  
"I know you can… but sometimes we all need a little bit of a helping hand." I said. "Now come on, I'll walk in front of you out of here."  
"No. Don't do that, I might not be able to lead." He said.  
"Well… then you walk in front of me, and we can get out of here." I said.  
"No… that's no good either, I might not be able to follow." He said.

I got frustrated with him. "Well what do you want me to do? Just leave you here? You can't even get up on your own."  
"Then help me," he started. "Just walk beside me, and be my friend."  
I stood there a second, in shock of what he had just said, then decided to do what he asked. I stood beside him, grabbed his upper arm and walked beside him out of the hospital. To the waiting arms of his parents, and the comfort that was going to be his home.

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A/N: Okay… this chapter kind of sucked! Not story wise, but for me. I was working on this chapter and the next together, one day after the other and after finishing both, I went to revise them both and I got screwed over. This entire chapter was deleted! EVERYTHING WAS GONE! EVERTHING! I had to run crazy crap on one of the other computers to try and rescue the documents, and I got lucky. I got it back… but it was crappy. Entire paragraphs were just misplaced, when ever there was a quote- there were no quotation marks, some sentences were just doubled over, typed twice, some of the story was just missing so I had to try and put it differently. It just plain sucked. But anyway, now to the good of the chapter.

Did everyone like it? Well guess what… remember when I said it might evolve into more then just a five chapter story? Well I'm thinking like eight or nine chapters! How is Takato gonna hold himself up after what's happened to him? Yeah I know being mugged isn't usually part of a romance story… but hey it's a real test of love for one another if you think about it. This is a nice, sweet, and short chapter (okay who am I kidding none of my chapters are ever short)… if you'll notice, I only had one real 'a/n:' through the whole chapter and even then it was at the end. But that last quote was note mine… I was randomly looking for quotes to use on the web and I came across this site called like 'the hall of quotes' and that one showed up twice, and I had to have it (the original quote was "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." by Albert Camus.) I had to have it fit into the story so I had his knees buckle underneath him. And also note- even after all that we've been through, Rika still didn't hold his hand at the end of the chapter. Which is the real reason there is no way this could possibly be the end of the story… also because nothing really romantic happened and I'm just starting to really love this story! Oh… and I made Takato pretty beat up even though he was knocked out like 5 minutes into the whole affair, so just assume that those guys beat the living crap out of him. Anyway… that's all for now.

Love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	6. Beauty In The Breakdown

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A/N: Yellow peoples! How is everyone? Me… oh I'm just bummed. By the way, is anyone even reading this story? I posted two chapters one day after the other and didnt get a review for either. This makes me sad. But i'm still updating! Once every Six days. Oh, and from now on mi 'a/n:' will contain stuff thats going 2 be relevant 2 when i wrote them (right now i'm on chp.8 of 9 and just haven't posted). Anyway, if you are reading this, idc who you are, just review so i know your reading them! Thank you! What's that? YES! I do have a life of my own… okay maybe not. Love, and be loved. Read… and review.  
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Beauty in the Breakdown

Tears… after so many years of fighting with emotions and turning them away… tears were the final result of all of it. Tears! After so many years of being so sure that I could live my life without emotions, without worries, with out tears, I had fallen apart in front of Takato. I had finally been stripped of my greatest weapon… my tough girl reputation. From now on… it won't mean anything to him. To him… I'll just be _that_ girl. The one who broke down in front of him when he was in the hospital. The one who cried over his beaten down body, because she felt responsible. I feel like now I've spent my entire life fighting nothing. That I hadn't done anything but delay the inevitable. Like it was destined to happen… but not to me! Never to me! It wasn't suppose to be… but it was. And it did. Because it happened. I fell apart at the seams right there… right in front of him.

It was a whole month ago yesterday that I had fallen apart but I just couldn't help but feel the weaker now that it was over. This was the first day Takato was back from his injury, and school was duller then ever. Mrs. Wilks was going on forever about this or that, and I just wanted the clock to strike 3:15, so I could go home and mull all of this over without the comfort of these jerks in my class. Oh was it bad last month when I left early. Mrs. Morton had told everyone how my good friend (thank God she hadn't called him my boy friend again) had been assaulted in the park before… but that didn't stop the girls from being nosy. They asked her who it was, but she wouldn't tell, but they just went home and looked in their newspapers for stories about anyone who was assaulted in the park. They all came across Takato's name and it was trouble from there on out.

Every one of them either offered their sympathy that I didn't need, or want, or asked who he was. _Since when do you have friends Rika? _I remember distinctly from a one miss Gails. Her first name was Erica, but man was she a prissy little rich girl. She had an excellent way of getting on my nerves by little snide remarks like that. She always tested me, trying me, waiting for me to snap and freak out at her. She liked me to get in fights with her, because she was always assured to get off easy when a teacher saw. She knew I wouldn't defend myself because I would be too busy trying to think of other ways to hit her. She liked to make me snap… and she was good at doing it.

But none of those days that closely followed Takato's attack were even remotely close to what the papers had printed this morning, when they printed the story of his release, and capture of his attackers. While Mrs. Morton had successfully kept the word 'boyfriend' out of the conversation with the girls, the papers were unsuccessful in keeping the word 'girlfriend' out its articles. They didn't like the idea of typing that his 'best friend' walked out of the hospital with him, but thought it better to put it as him and his 'girlfriend' walked out of the hospital with him. Monkeys in pants, with both the after the attack and after his release newspapers could have made the connection between him and me.

Although, I do think monkeys with pants would have been a little less enthusiastic to ask me about Takato. All of the girls had jumped at the chance to ask Rika Nonaka, the great queen of ice, who denied being the girlfriend of the guy that got attacked, just how sure I was that I wasn't his girlfriend. Oh how I hated them. Although, Erica didn't say anything… and seemed to be in deep thought, or troubled by the article, that every girl in the class brought into school. Except her… which was another reason why I was worried about her. Here was her chance to inflict unrecoverable personal damage, and make me hate her more then ever, and she wasn't taking this opportunity. What is wrong with her?

After a little more thought the final bell rang and we were free to go. Takato wasn't coming over today, so I had a lot more time to do my homework today. I finished packing my book bag and headed for the door, but just as I reached it I was called back.

"Rika… wait." Someone said behind me.  
I turned around and saw it was Erica… so she waited until school was over to mock me. "What, do you want?" I asked.  
"So… this Takato character… you won't be seeing him for a few days will you?" she said.  
What? That's not an insult, it's a question. "Umm… yeah. I won't see him for at least a few more days. Why?" I questioned her.  
"No reason." She said, looked to the floor, then turned around and walked back to her book bag.

That's not the Erica I know… not at all. Whatever, I don't have time for this, I thought to myself. I started walking and decided to head home as fast as I could before Erica could change her mind. A day free of insults from her was a good day by me book.  
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I walked into a deserted home. Hmm… mom told me she was gonna be at a photo shoot, but I wonder where grandma is? I looked around and found a note in my room telling me she would be home around four thirty. Ugh… alone again. A perfect chance to mull over what had happened with those damn tears. I turned on the light in my room, put my book bag down at the foot of my bed, laid down, and took a deep breath. My room, my sanctuary… my place to go to be at peace, with no one but myself, where no one else could touch me. I closed my eyes and re-enacted what had happened that day a month ago in my head. I saw his dismantled body on that bed with so many injuries and I thought to the night before when we had been having such a great time. I tried to re-conjure that impossible guilt that had been on me when I walked into the room, the way no one seemed to be offering there comfort, and my need to apologize, the tone of his voice when he asked me 'for what dear' when I had apologized. Ugh! I could feel the guilt coming into my eyes and I could tell tears were coming. I could feel there hot wet moisture begin to form around my eyes and how they-

"Hello Rika." Someone said from my bedroom door.  
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"Hey Takato, I just wanted to say… welcome back man!" Henry said to me.  
"Thanks Henry… I ah wanted to say sorry for lying to you the days right before it happened." I said.  
"No problem man! The important thing is that your alright." He responded.  
School was over and I decided to stay back a little bit today, mom wouldn't freak out TOO much if I was only a few minutes late to the car. She and I had agreed it better that she pick me up from school for a little while after school, just until I was ready to start walking home. But even then… I was gonna make sure I was walking home with at least someone… even if it had to be Jeri, because I wasn't even ready to risk something like that happening again. Even if I myself didn't believe it possible to happen again. "So where were you going to anyway, those days before it happened." He asked me.

"Well…" _I guess I better tell him… he should be the first to know_ I thought to myself. "I had been-"  
"I know exactly where you had been going to, chumly!" I heard Kazu say walking up behind me.  
"You do then?" I asked him.  
"Yep!" he said.  
"Where was I going to, Kazu?" I asked, sympathetically… there's no way he could possibly know I had been-  
"The day before it happened, me and Kenta saw you running through the park." He said.  
"Yeah, I know." I confessed, he couldn't possibly know I had been going to-

"And the day that it did happen, we saw you running again." He said.  
"Yes, I know that too." I said, getting a little angry. He kept interrupting my thoughts! No way he knew I was-

"But that day, we followed you." He said.  
"What! You… you followed me!" I said outraged.  
"You had been blowing us off and sneaking off to . . . Rika Nonaka's house!" he said in his infamous gloating tone, the one he used when he beat me in cards.

"What!" Henry nearly yelled.  
"It's true… we've got a tape of him going into her house." He said, the tone still there.  
"Ta… Takato, tell me he's kidding right? You weren't going to Rika Nonaka's were you?" he asked me.  
"Thank you for stealing the words right from out of my mouth." I said directly to Kazu.  
"So… so why… why were you going there?" he asked me, in an I-don't-believe-it voice.

Ugh oh… I still hadn't told them about Jeri turning me down. I looked just past Henry and saw Jeri standing on the sidewalk looking sideways at us. I started thinking of lies or things I could make up that wouldn't be too far from the truth… but I couldn't think of any. I couldn't lie to these guys… not anymore, and especially not with someone who knew the truth was standing only three feet away. "Sorry guys… I gotta go. My moms waiting." I said in a voice so bland and empty of emotion the only time I could remember ever using it before was right after Jeri told me she wanted to be just friends. I started walking towards the car, but turned around. "Sorry." I said to them. They gave me awkward confused looks, but it wasn't meant for them. I slipped my eyes towards Jeri and she looked away. I reached the car, opened the door, and got in.

"So Takato, how was school?" my mom asked me.  
I kept my eyes on the floor of the car. I felt much better about apologizing for lying and being a jerk to Jeri, but it didn't feel right. Being discrete the way I had been. "Great." I said.  
"Good. So your fathers manning the store all by himself, and I don't like the idea of that, so you ready to go?" she asked me.  
"Yeah." I said, seeing my Garden State CD and case on the floor of the car, from yesterday when my parents had picked me up. "Umm mom." I started. I struggled with the idea of asking for another second in my head, and chose to ask her. "Can we make a quick stop at Rika's first." I asked.

"Sure honey. What for?" she said, starting the car up.  
"I want to ask her something, that I can't ask on the phone, much too important."  
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"Hello Rika." Someone said from my bedroom door.

I quickly opened my eyes, but damn it, I could still feel the searing pain from the tears and guilt building up. I looked to the door and saw the last person I wanted to see right now… not when I was about to turn loose. What on earth was Erica Gails doing at my bedroom door?  
"Why are you in my house, Erica?" I asked.  
"Oh, I just followed you home." She responded.  
"Well, why'd you do that?" I demanded again.  
"Because tormenting you at school would make **too** much of a scene, if you can image that." She said.

"Your not gonna torment me… not here… not now." I threatened. I was not ready to fight with her right now… not when I was already so emotionally fragile.

"Why not? I bet your secretly dying to know why I didn't bring in a newspaper, or even say anything to you at the end of the day. Why I just wanted to know when this Takato was gonna be around?" she said.  
She was right… and I hated it when she was right. "I don't give a damn about-"  
"Hush, hush Rika. The important person wants to talk." Someone said from behind her.  
I blinked back a tear and could see she wasn't alone. It was Jackie Bruzgo, Erica's thug of a friend. She was taller then me, stronger then me, and was basically there to stand as a wall between Erica and my fist. "Yes, Rika. Hush, hush," she mocked.

"Get out of my house." I demanded… I couldn't deal with them and fight back these tears at the same time. But what could I do? I had no where to run… I was cornered in my own damn room, for Christ's sake! And even if I could run, and I did, that would only make me a coward.

"You call this a house?" Erica said. "This place isn't fit for my dog."  
"I don't-"  
"No one," Erica started. "cares what you think."

I couldn't think of anything to say to her. She had planned this out perfectly. I don't know how she could have planned it better. "That's better… quiet suits you Rika." She mocked.

"Now, down to business." She said. "So the 'Great Gamer', the 'Digimon Queen', the heart and friendless Rika Nonaka finally got a life… and a boyfriend."

She paused, as if trying to save a picture of me in this pathetic state I was in. Savoring every bit of her utter victory, in her pause I thought I heard a car on the streets and prayed it was grandma, or even mom! Please God, deliver me from this. "Now… (pause) the paper says your boyfriend," she emphasized on the last two words. "got the crap beat out of him. It also says they originally thought it was only one person."

"Then it says they caught the four guys that did it. But I know they're all innocent. I know it was you that beat him." She said.  
What? She… she was accusing me of attacking Takato! How could she? How could she possibly say such a horrible thing! "That's a lie!" I said, but I could barely get it out… I was already defeated and she was just preparing her killing stroke.

"No, Rika. It's the truth. I know it is, and I also know how the cops never caught you." She said. "I'm gonna tell you how I know… are you ready?" she asked me… no dared me, to answer her.  
"I know for a fact… that your mom slept with the cop in charge to keep the case cold." She lied.  
"Shut up." I said. But I had lost… the tears were blurring my vision again and I could tell . . . here came the killing stroke. Erica was gonna get her final victory over me. After this I would be less then nothing. And she had a witness to prove her victory.

"No, Rika. I don't feel like shutting up because… who turned off all the lights?"  
I tried to see, but I couldn't. I could tell someone had indeed turned off the lights in my room… it was utter darkness.

"No… I think you should shut up." Said a different voice. A heroic voice… a saving voice. Someone else was in the room… someone that cared about me… someone…. someone…

"Who the hell are you?" I heard Erica ask into the darkness… darkness? Yes! That had to be it, the darkness that had filled my heart for so long has come to my aid when no one else would. It has come out of its shell in my heart and is here to save me.  
"Where… where are you?" I heard Erica say. But I could hear the terror in her voice rising. The darkness was going to get her.

"What are you!" she screamed into the darkness, the terror evident.  
I stood on my knees, on my bed. I looked around… the darkness was here for me, and I was ready to offer myself to it, so that it may do it's acts through me. "Where are you?" I said softly into the darkness.  
_"Here."_ It said from in front me… but it was no longer the darkness… it was… it was…

"Takato…" I said softly again into the darkness…  
The lights were back on, but my vision was still blurred, but I could make out the outline of someone standing between me and where Erica had been standing… it… it had to be Takato.

"Who the hell are YOU?" I heard Erica say, the terror loosening in her voice I could tell, now that she was no longer blinded by the nothing.  
"My name's not important. But you need to get the hell out of here… NOW!" I heard Takato say.  
He… he was being violent. The only time I had ever heard the anger in his voice was when he forced Guilmon to digivolve into Magidramon… when Leomon died.

"I'm not leaving… I have business with Rika. Now if you don't mind moving." I heard Erica demand.  
"You have no business here, you have forced entry, and that makes you a trespasser." He warned them . . . he sounded as if he were back with Guilmon … back as Gallantmon.

"You idiot, we didn't break open the door, like robbers, it was already open." She said. I felt the tears slide down my cheeks, I knew she had Takato now… I realized I hadn't locked the front door when I came in.  
"Yet your still in someone else's house, uninvited, and apparently trying to attack an innocent person. Apparent to me, and I've got my finger on the dial button." he said.

A long pause resulted. "Whatever, come on Jackie. We'll get Rika tomorrow, when Mr. Hero isn't around." I heard her say, and the door was closed. Freedom! I rubbed the tears away from my eyes, but I could feel more were already on the way. I was alone in my room, and the door was open. Then, just as the tears started to form again, I saw Takato come running back through the door. I couldn't handle it anymore!

"Rika, are you all right?" he asked me, coming to sit on the bed with me.

I opened my mouth to answer yes, that I was fine. To tell him to leave, and go home. To tell him I would call him later, to assure him of my 'fine-ness.' But I couldn't pull myself to lie to him. I pulled him into a big hug, and cried into his shoulder. I couldn't handle this stress that came with these emotions anymore. I let the tears flow as free as they wished. I couldn't handle being pushed around anymore. I was tired of being the tough girl… I was just so damn tired of putting up the act… of putting on this curtain of lies that I could handle life without emotions. He knew better though… he knew **me** better, I thought. Around him I could cry, I could be the weakling with emotions and feelings just like everyone else. Around him I could… I could be true to how I felt. I choked out the sobs and pulled my face from his shoulder and tried to strangle out a sentence… "Nothing… nothings alright." I said.

"That's okay… just as long as your safe." He told me, bringing me back into the hug.  
"Safe… that's how I feel… with you everything's just so safe." I said, before burying my tears in his shoulder again.  
He hushed me. "It's alright… its alright to cry. It's alright to breakdown and just let loose once in a while."  
I pulled myself away once more. "No… it's not okay!" I said. "I can't breakdown… it's just not… its just not . . ." I couldn't choke out the last few words.

"Right?" he offered, and I shook my head. "Don't you know yet?" he asked me. "That when your with me, it's not about what's right and what's not? When you're with me the only thing that matters is that we're together. Everything else is just a distraction to try and take us away from each other, but none of it… none of **that**… can take us apart."

I didn't respond, or question him; I just followed his orders and cried into his shoulder. He was right though… as long as we were together, **nothing** could take us apart.  
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After an unknown amount of time of my total breakdown, I realized that I had stopped. I picked myself up from my bed, and realized I was alone in my room. Had… had I only dreamt it all? Had I merely dreamt Erica at my door and Takato saving me while trying to re-conjure thoughts of guilt I had felt a month ago? No! No, it had been all too real. But as I looked around my room, I saw that everything was the same. Nothing was different from when I had laid down on my bed when I got home. I got up and walked to my door, pushed it open slightly and could hear laughter of my mother's coming from the kitchen. I guess I had dreamt it all. I guess I'm just going to have to treat the entire affair as just a dream, and only as a dream.

Only this, and nothing more.

My knees felt weak, my eyelids heavy, and my lips felt like concrete. But as I walked into the kitchen I saw my mother... and Mrs. Matsuki! They were cooking something, but I wasn't sure what. I leaned on the wall from the weakness in my legs, and turned my eyes to the dinner table- where I could see the back of Takato's head and directly across from him was my grandma. "Rika dear, you're awake!" my mom exclaimed.

"What!" I heard Takato say, as he turned around in his seat to see me.

He got up and came towards me, "What are you doing up? Your not really in a position to be walking around." He said. "Come on, come sit down."

He helped me keep my balance to the dinner table, pulled out my chair, and I sat down, grateful to not have to walk around anymore. He sat next to me and continued his game of regular cards with grandma. "You fell asleep ya know." He said.

"My mom was here so we just decided to watch over until your mom and grandma got home. But then they asked us to stay for dinner. My dad's on his way over, he was just closing up when we got off the phone with him earlier. He was pretty mad we left him at the store all day long, but I think he'll get over it."

"Also, I did your homework for you. I didn't have much trouble, except with the world cultures. Did you know your math class is like a whole chapter behind mine now?" he said, rather then asked.

I wanted to say 'thank you', to thank him for everything, for… listening, and for saving me like the way he did, but the words wouldn't come out of my concrete lips. After watching Takato and grandma play double solitaire for a while Takato's dad showed up and we ate dinner. After a few bites of some hot food my lips came alive, and I could talk freely. Dinner was all right, I guess Mrs. Matsuki must be a pretty good cook if she could make my mom's cooking good. After dinner our parents just kept talking while we went back into my room.

"I'm sorry" I apologized… but I wasn't sure for what.  
"Rika, there's nothing to be sorry about. All you did was shed some well overdue tears. That's all." He said. "Now… close your eyes."  
"What?" I asked.  
"You heard me… close your eye's, I've got a present for you, but I have to pull it out first."

What? I felt like I was looking at a child Takato, like a seven-year-old. "Okay, but watch yourself." I warned.  
I closed my eyes, and I could feel him moving around. He was trying to find something, but what? "Okay, open em up!"

I opened up and he held out a CD case. "What is it?" I asked.  
"It's the Garden State soundtrack! I'm giving it to you! I know you'll love it!" he said.  
"Well… let's listen to it. Get my CD player." I said, after a long moment of pause.  
"All right!" he exclaimed, getting up to look for it. He found it a few seconds later on my desk.

He brought it over, held the headphones between our head, turned it up to full blast, put on the first song, and I cringed. It was the same wordless noise coming from my alarm clock. Apparently he didn't take any notice though, he simply said, "Okay, this first one is called Don't Panic by Coldplay. Let Go by Frou Frou is on here, and so is that Shins song you like. I just know you'll love it!" he exclaimed.

"And the best part is all the song titles and who they're by is written on the CD so if you don't know the name just read the CD!"

As soon as he told me the name of the song, I could hear it clear as day! What was wrong with my hearing? I don't know, but I'm not gonna think about that now. I simply nodded and enjoyed the song.  
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After about an hour of our parents talking and us just listening to the CD, Takato's parents decided it was time to go. We headed outside, but our parents stood by the car and just talked some more while we stood on the concrete path closer to the door, so we could talk privately. "So I just know you're gonna love that CD." He said, for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah… I know." I said.  
"So, Rika can I ask you something?" he said to me.  
"Yeah, ask me anything . . . I owe you so much."  
"Stop. I don't want you to owe me anything." He said.  
"Umm… okay." I said.

"Well… it's actually the reason I came over at all today." He said, but stopped.  
"Come on Takato, talk to me here." I urged him on.

"Well, because everyone seems to think so…" he said, but stopped again, and looked down at the ground.  
"Come on, Takato… you know you can talk to me about anything."

He looked back up at me with a grin. "Do you want to be boyfriend and girlfriend?" he asked.

I thought it over a good whole second. I let my mouth hang open, I looked down at the ground, looked away from him, then looked him dead in the eye. Time for some tough love. "Umm… Takato… Ugh, I … ugh… I want us to be friends, just friends… but I also want us to be SO much more then that." I said, the enthusiasm evident in my voice in those last few words.

He smiled greatly, his legs seemed to give way but he pulled me into a hug before he could fall down. It was the same hug from earlier… only this time it wasn't comfort I felt, it was joy. "Takato! Come on!"

I looked to his parents who were waving him over, and to my mom and grandma who were coming back to the house. We pulled away, and he smiled at me before walking away, but I called him back. "Takato, wait."

He turned quickly, that smile still there, and said, "Yes?"

"I never thanked you… for everything."

"And you'll never have to." He said before turning around again and walking to his car.

I smiled at this, and started walking back to my own house, and couldn't help but think, _Wow, I've got a boyfriend now_… I wonder how Erica will respond to this?  
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A/N: Yeah! Hello people! How is everyone today? Or tonight depending on when you're reading this? Whatever. Did everyone enjoy the story? Who ever can name the part that I stole from Batman Begins the fastest gets a sneak peak in an e-mail to the next chapter! And I don't mean the whole 'where are you?' 'here' thing… that one doesn't count. And who ever can name the line that I stole from Garden State gets a better prize. Who wants to know the titles of the last three chapters? This is all of course just to get you people to review. Note, I don't own any of the songs I put at the end of the chapter, I didn't feel like interrupting an intense scene. Note, also that if you didn't get it already, I am absolutely in LOVE with the Garden State soundtrack. If you have it you again, know what I'm talking about, but if not, get your but out there and get it somehow! Or at least listen to all the songs I have listed. Anyway sorry about how this one was written. My computer got messed up again! Blah! The entire second half of the story was deleted when I went to go re-vise it the other day! Check it out from "That when your with me, it's not about what's right and what's not?" it was all gone! Everything from that point on was just not there anymore! I think you can imagine my frustration. I had such an important part in the middle of the end that I just couldn't remember! Without the 'A/N:' the first time it was 16 pages double spaced all on its own… this time, at this particular line I'm writing on right now, double spaced, is now just the 2nd (now 3rd) line on the 16th page! Ugh! What am I missing? What's that? Way too long, you say! Never! Okay maybe just a little. I'm too attached to getting all the little details across! It's a curse, I know. Anyway, please bare with me with the cheesy heroics Takato made in the Rika's room. The whole idea of him saving her sucked but I couldn't think of another way of Erica leaving without seeing Rika cry, so whatever! You're gonna have to use your imagination with me here though, him turning the lights off is believable. Rika's bed is what… seven, eight feet into the room? Those two girls were lets say four or five feet from the bed, that gives Takato plenty of room to slip into the room unnoticed, flip the switch on the lights, and get between the girls and the bed. I was desperate to get a crying scene in okay people! So sue me (sees a few lawyers start to move in closer to actually sue me!). Okay, never mind, geez! Tha… tha… That's all folks!

Love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	7. Speak No Evil

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A/N: (sulks) Hello everyone. Ugh, welcome to thee umm… whatever chapter were on. I had the biggest writer's block on this chapter, and, honestly, I still do. I will be writing this chapter with only 3 things in mind. The 1st is the title. The 2nd being how I want it to end and the 3rd is a single scene I was able to come up with. Okay… here goes nothing. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
A/N: (revised) I came back after writing this 'a/n'- I would like to note, that this chapter is being dedicated to two people. The first is my fan base as of when I was writing it… okay, fan, no base. That would be Kuroy! Yeah! And the second is Erica (Sora45609) from Youtube. Love to you Erica, also I'm sorry there is a coincidence in your name and the name of Rika's arch enemy… I'll explain my choice of name at the end of the 8th chapter. Okay, I'm done. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
A/N: (revised, again!) Hello for the last time. I want you people to know, I'm not done the next chapter yet. Cross country and school are messing me up, so please forgive me if the next one isn't up in time!  
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Speak No Evil

Love. What is love? Is just another word people toss around to see the reactions of others? Or is it more? Is love more of a measure of how strongly you care about someone, or is love a level of caring about someone that you attain when you reach the pinnacle? Is love what you have, or what you want to have? Is love what **I** have, or what **I** want to have? So many questions, and yet no answers come. I have no one to turn to and ask these questions because I'm so locked up in myself, that the only person I could ask is the person I have this 'love' for. Am I so shallow that I can only love one person, or do I love this person because I'm shallow? God, give me the strength to find these answers inside myself.

I pulled my eyes away from the window. The weather forecast called for snow coming very soon, and I couldn't wait. These damn autumn leaves had to go, their time here had come and gone, and now it was time for the snow to turn them over for dead. Dead and gone, to be remembered by no one but myself, until next year when they come back to remind me of the awkward people around me.

I stole a glance at the clock and realized, slowly, that everyone around me was already standing and packing up. The day was over? Oh well. I stood up myself, and realized it was Friday, and that it was now officially the weekend. I threw everything that I thought I might need and put it in my bag, I was eager to get home. Maybe get some sleep in. I desperately wanted… no needed some. I pulled my book bag over one shoulder, and turned to leave, but my, my what an _un_pleasant surprise. Erica was standing two desks behind me, talking with Jackie. I began to walk their way, hoping all they were doing was talking, but I guess I'm just not that lucky. Erica stood up from her resting-place on the desk and stood in my path. I didn't bother looking at her, I wasn't going to talk or fight with her. She had come to my house two days ago now, and I had ignored her yesterday, and that seemed to work. So I was hoping it would again. I made to go around her, but she moved in my way again. I changed direction and she just took a side step in that direction. She laughed and so did Jackie at my feeble attempt to get around her. _Push her over!_ My curtain of tough girl act told me in my head, and I considered this for a moment, but I thought of Takato, and I knew he wouldn't want me to result to violence as a _first_ reaction to being unable to walk away.

I changed back to my original direction of leaving and went around two desks to be safe. She didn't bother to keep at this game of cat and mouse, and stayed put. "You can't play the silent game forever, Rika." She said to me.

I didn't respond and kept on walking. _'Not today, not today.'_ I kept saying in my head. I wasn't going to go through this today, I had a home calling me where both my mom and grandma were going to be waiting for me.

Especially not today, since Takato said he had another surprise for me. In the form of a date . . . and I can't wait for it.  
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"So Takato, you gonna tell us why you were going to Rika's today?" Henry asked.  
I smiled. I hadn't time to talk yesterday, and knew they would want to ask me today. The way I had been discrete before had been a bit troubling for even myself. "Of course." I said.  
I was ready to tell the truth, no matter how much it hurt. Or how embarrassing it was.  
"Can't wait to here this one." Someone said near me, a familiar someone.  
I turned to my left and saw Jeri coming in to listen. Well… I guess she already knows so there was nothing to be embarrassed about in font of her… and besides… I have Rika now, I thought. "Okay, but you already know." I told her.

"Why Rika though?" said another familiar person, behind me.  
I turned around to see Kazu. Here we go again, I closed my eyes and got ready. Kazu's gonna bash Rika in right in front of me, saying she's a problem and what ever, but he won't once I tell him that were-

"I mean, she's such a bitch."  
_WHAK! _I… I punched him. I didn't mean to… but it was my initial instinct when he said that.

I heard Jeri gasp, and Henry said, "Takato! What you do that for?"  
"Yeah, Chumly what for?" he asked me.  
"You idiot, you know what for!" I retorted.  
"What? Because I called Rika-"

I gave him a stare that sent a chill down his spine, and he stopped talking. "She's a problem dude." He managed to get out.  
I wasn't about ready to forgive Kazu for what he said, but I could still tell them the truth, regardless.  
"I mean… look what she's done to you? She's got you hitting people! And not just anyone… me!"

"She didn't do that to me… you did that to me." I said to him.  
"No way dude… the real Takato doesn't hit someone for calling Rika a-"

He was going to say it again! I looked at him with that look and he stopped. "a- . . . a problem." He said. He could tell I wasn't going to let him get away with calling her that again.

"Kazu you have no idea what you're talking about." I told him.  
"Umm… I think I have **some** idea." He said.  
I was getting angry. Just because he _knew_ Rika didn't mean he **knew** Rika. "I mean, come on! A month ago you wouldn't have swung at me if I had called her that." He said.

That was a lie! He knew it… or maybe he didn't? I don't care! He has no idea what he's talking about! "You would have agreed."  
"What?" I said.  
"You would have! She always so cold, and mean to everyone it's ridiculous! She needs to get a life… or a boyfriend?"

Aha! Here's my chance to shut him up once and for all! I opened my mouth to respond, but he was a step ahead of me. "Or maybe… now this is a vague one, but what if…" he started.  
He looked around, I don't know why; no one was listening in on our conversation. "What if she's a lesbian?" he said.

_SNAP! _I grabbed him by the shirt with both hands and I wasn't in control any longer, my anger was doing it's bidding through my body. I had fire in my eyes, and thunder in my voice and I didn't care if anyone tried to stop me, he wasn't getting away with that one! I raised my right fist in the air. "**_Say it again! Call her that again! I dare you!_**" I said.

He seemed too lost in my actions to even think of responding. I could tell he was afraid of what I was going to, and was then too afraid to respond. "Takato let go of him!" Henry said to my left.  
"He's right, look what she's done to you!" Henry said again.

The blood in me boiled, and I let go of Kazu. I turned to face Henry and my fist connected with his face. Why didn't he respond? He was supposed to be so great at karate, so why didn't he stop me? _Because he didn't expect it_. My head told me. _Do it AGAIN!_ My head told me again, and I could feel the anger agreeing with it. Now I grabbed Henry by the shirt and lifted my right fist again. "**_Do YOU want to call her that again?"_** I dared him.

He looked at me with a not so equal amount of anger in his eyes, but I could tell there was anger there. It didn't faze me; I wasn't going to let them get away with this!  
"Dude… what's your problem? What is she your girlfriend?" Kazu asked.

The words were out of my mouth before I could think them over, or consider what answering the question might mean. "Yes she is!"  
_CLICK! _The anger in me was gone. I was finally realizing what I was doing, and realized that everyone was in shock. Henry's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. I looked to Jeri, who hadn't said a thing during the entire affair, and she had the same dumb look of shock on her face. I turned to Kazu and he looked like he didn't believe me. I turned my head to an open space where no one was standing and thought over what my options were while I was still standing here. _Run! Run! Run and don't turn back!_ My head said. But I wasn't going to listen to my head, not again.

I realized I was still holding Henry by the shirt and let go. I put my hands at my side and balled them into fist. Not to hit with, but just out of pure anger at myself for hitting Henry and Kazu. _What have I done?_ A different voice said in the back of my head. _This isn't how I wanted them to find out. This isn't how it was suppose to be._ It said again. I felt like I should say I was sorry… but am I? They said horrible things about Rika. Was I sorry… or did I **want** to be sorry? My mouth became so dry I was afraid I would die of thirst on the spot. I couldn't strangle out a sentence even if I felt I had to. Was now a time to be silent, or a time for actions? I was too caught up to answer and just stared at the ground for a long time.

Finally, I decided it wasn't a time for silence, or actions, but rather for words. I opened my mouth to apologize, but someone else beat me to the punch again.

"Whoa… I'm… I'm sorry man." Kazu said.  
He… he was sorry? I was the one who was supposed to be remorseful, not him. He didn't have any reason to be sorry, when I was the one who hit him. "No… I'm sorry." I said.

I couldn't walk around with that dead weight in me, of feeling the need to apologize and not being able to do so. I looked up from the ground and looked at Kazu. He was looking at the ground now, and I couldn't help but feel childish… the way we had acted. I put my hand out for him to shake. "Fr… friends?"

He looked up at me, looked at my hand, then again back up at me. He smiled and laughed. "Were we ever **not** friends?"  
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I walked up the concrete path and up the steps to the front door. I reached for the knob and turned. Without thinking I pushed forward with my shoulder… I hit the door head on. What gives? I turned the knob again and realized that it was locked. Ugh… I reached into my pocket and pulled out the door key. I unlocked the door, opened it and walked in. I could hear mom and grandma talking in the kitchen. I followed their voices and found them talking near the sink. "Oh, Rika. Your home!" mom said.

I became dazed… I was more tired then ever. I gently put my book bag down and said, "Yeah… umm… I'm gonna take a nap." I said.

"Okay… don't forget Takato is coming over today." Mom said.

I nodded and walked past her thinking, _I didn't_.

I lied down on my bed, closed my eyes and thought back to two days before. What a catastrophe that had been… but somehow Takato had found a way to turn it into a miracle. A heaven sent miracle. A heaven sent… _miracle_.

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I awoke with a start… Oh my God, what time is it? I turned over in bed and looked at the clock… 5:07. I was only asleep for an hour? It seemed like I had been asleep for a much longer time then that. I stood up, left my room and went into the kitchen. Mom and grandma weren't in here anymore. I walked over to the cupboard, pulled out a glass and pulled out some orange juice from the refrigerator. I drank it to try and wake myself up, but I don't think I needed to do so. For some reason I was wide-awake. I checked out my surroundings and tried to tune my ears into any sound to see if I could hear mom or grandma. Slowly a sound began to come in that I normally wouldn't have heard if I hadn't been trying to listen for it. It was coming from outside. Someone… was outside… someone…

"Takato!" I said to no one.

I ran to my room and got changed quickly, anything other then my school clothes. I grabbed the closest shirt, a long sleeve dark shade of red shirt, and put on a pair of jeans. I ran out of my room, and to the door. While still running I grabbed hold of the door knob, turned the knob and- _SMACK! _I fell over, and looked at the door that hadn't moved at all. I stood up and turned the knob again. Wow… it was locked again! I unlocked it quickly and opened the door. I jumped down the steps and turned to the driveway… and there he was! He was standing amongst his mom, my mom, and grandma. He seemed to be listening rather then engaged in the conversation. I realized I didn't have any need to be in a rush anymore, and walked over to the group. About four feet from him, he turned around to see me. "Hey, Rika!"

He had a white long sleeve shirt with the sleeves being sky blue and regular jeans on. I walked up to him, and he gave me a hug. I was frozen on the spot for a second, not responding. I hadn't expected him to give me a hug and was surprised. After another second of surprise I returned the hug. We let go, and he said, "So, you ready to go?"

"Go where?" I asked.  
He smiled and said, "On a walk."  
A walk? This was the surprise he had planned? "Where to?" I asked.  
"Through the park." He said. I gave him a confused look and he said, "Just trust me!"

I nodded and he gave me his wonderful smile. He grabbed me by the hand and started to run towards the park. I didn't try to hold back but felt a swift and merciless heat come into my cheeks and couldn't help but feel that if I looked in a mirror, my cheeks might be roses. I realized, while I wasn't holding us back, I was slowing us down by not running too. I picked up my pace and ran beside him. "Be back by Six-thirty!" I heard his mom call to us.

He let go of my hand, and I felt upset, but I wasn't sure why. He began walking backwards and called back, "I know!"  
He turned around and grabbed my hand again as we began are run into the park again.

Again… I was sure my cheeks were roses.

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After a few minutes of running through the park, we let go, and I was beginning to wonder where we were going? Where could he be taking me that we haven't been already? During our adventure we had seen just about every part of the park. What could be here that we missed… that I missed? "So where are we going?" I asked.

He turned to me and smiled, "You'll see."

I didn't much like being kept in the dark, but for him… I could wait. After another few minutes of walking around aimlessly, well at least for me it was aimlessly, he made an unexpected sudden turn, right into the thick of the woods. "Where are you going?" I asked from just outside of the wooded area.

"Just trust me, the rough road is worth what we get to see." He said.  
I didn't question him… he had never led me wrong before. I started to climb into the woods, and it did seem like it was going to be a rough road ahead.

After a few minutes of climbing around, over, or under branches from every tree, we finally came to an opening. After just a few seconds of walking on this open space though, just as I was beginning to think it was going to be smooth sailing, he made another unexpected left turn. I followed after, not running, but struggling to keep up. I couldn't run because I wasn't sure when he would make another unexpected turn. It was as if he was my candle in a dark hallway and I hadn't any idea of where the next turn I'll have to make will be.

We walked through some more heavily wooded areas and finally he hopped over what seemed to be the top of a hill, "Okay, now be careful, because this is a steep hill." He warned me, as I began to hop over the top as well.

Apparently it was a _very_ steep hill. I lost my footing, fell down and began to slide down the hill. "_Takato!_" I said while sliding.

He grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back to the top with him before I could get too far. "There ya go!" he said, still holding my hand, and this made the roses return.  
I smiled… my roses seemed to be contagious because he developed some of his own. "Okay, lets keep going, we've only got a little bit further to go." He said, but he didn't let go of my hand.

We walked a bit further on top of this steep hill, and then we stopped. I stepped up to stand beside him. "Okay, here's where we go down." He said.  
He began to crouch down and slowly move down the hill, bringing me with him by the hand. "What do you mean down?" I asked, but still followed.  
"Your surprise is waiting at the bottom." He said, and again smiled.

We made our way down slowly, and when we finally got to the bottom, there was no surprise. "Okay, are you ready for this?" he asked.  
"It better be good, because-"

But I was cut off; we walked down what seemed to be like actual stone steps, as if someone had put them there on purpose, and waiting in front of me was one of the most magnificent scenes I've ever seen.

It looked like a small pond, or lake, and above it was a clearing of trees where the skyline was being reflected off the water. The sky was an incredible shade of pink, and only a few clouds were being reflected off the water. I was speechless… no, I was breathless. "So… what do you think?" he asked.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I tried again and was able to get a word out, "Beautiful."

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"The waters about five feet deep all around." He said.  
"So how… how did you find this place?" I asked him.  
"Hmm? Oh… I'm not really sure. I just remember coming here all the time, just to be alone. Way back before Guilmon was even in my life. Gee… that was a pretty long time ago." He said.  
He wanted to be alone sometimes? Him? I couldn't believe it. But anything's possible I guess. "So… who else have you brought here?" I asked.

"Now that you mention it… no one." He said.  
"What! No one? Not even… not even Jeri. Or Guilmon?" I asked in amazement.  
"No. No one as in, 'no one but you.'" He said.

I looked back out into the beauty of the pond in amazement. 'No one?' That means… he cares about me so much that he'd bring me to a place so dear to him, he didn't even show it to someone he'd always had a crush on, or a certain red dinosaur that was his best friend, when no one else was. Was this… could this possibly be?

Was this, _truly_ . . . love?

I shook the thought from my head, I could think about that later. Now was a time to enjoy the beauty of nature, and company of a dear friend. We sat down next to each other on some rocks near the water. I wanted to touch the water… because unlike the leaves, this water would always be here. Always. Almost like… Takato… and how he's always be here for me, no matter what. Even if the harsh winter froze it over, it'd still be here for me. I smiled at this thought, and bent over the rock I was on and touched the water. It was… wonderful!

It wasn't too cold, or even as cold as it should be, considering there was going to be snow in the next few days. I grabbed as much as I could into a both of my hands, brought it up out of the water, and threw what was still left at Takato. He hadn't been paying attention, and didn't seem to react, but turned to me slowly and said, "You've got to ask yourself one question, 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" He asked me.

I laughed and went to pick up some more water, and he followed suit. We began to splash water at each other, and it was fun! I was having such a great time I forgot to enjoy Mother Nature, and the beauty of the pond.

After several minutes of futilely trying to pick up handfuls of water, I decided to take it a step further. I jumped over to him, grabbed him by the waist, and jumped into the pond, remembering he said it was about five feet deep. We hit the cool water and it was like nothing before. The water wrapped itself around us and seemed to try and invite us to breathing underneath, rather then try and strangle us of air.

We swam back to the top and laughed at each other for a long time. We swam to the edge; he got out first, and then helped me out. Once out of the water, I gave him a great hug and stayed there for a few seconds, wrapped in his warmth. I let go and gave him the best smile I could muster. "Well… now I'm going to need a new watch." He said, and I laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot you were wearing one." I apologized.

"It's okay." He said, checking his now useless watch. "But maybe we should start heading back." He said. "When we hit the water it was just past six."  
I smiled again, "Alright."

So we headed back home, and the ride was much smoother then it was when we were coming because I knew where we were going this time. But once we got back to the top of the hill, I slid again. Not accidentally though… I wanted to hold his hand again.

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We came out of the woods, still soaked somehow, and still hand in hand. We ran back to the house, this time… the door was unlocked. We walked inside, and Takato's mom was at the dinner table. "Are we late?" he asked.  
She checked her own watch and said, "Not only that, but your also soaked."

We looked at one another and laughed. "Don't worry, I'll get some towels." Grandma said, walking to the laundry room. We went into the kitchen and stood there waiting for grandma to come back with towels. "So… how was it?" Takato's mom asked.  
Takato opened his mouth to respond, but I decided to give a better answer, "The time of my life."

He looked at me, with a bit of surprise about him, and the roses blossomed on his face. I realized mine would be coming soon and tried to stop it, but I felt the hot sense of 'blush' and I knew mine were out for show as well.

And you know what? I don't care who sees them, because **he** knows they're their and that's all that matters.

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A/N: Hello people! Wow… I actually ended up liking this chapter. The whole thing came to me like a song, and I loved it! But not all of it, I had HUGE blocks of like a combined of about 3½ hours in two parts in the story! I had a three-hour block before the scene where Takato gets into a fistfight with Kazu and Henry, I just couldn't think of anything at all. I was just blank, but it came to me gradually, and then I also had to keep their friendship alive, so I restored it. Then I also had about a half-hour after the 'were we ever not friends?' line, because I couldn't think of how to bring Rika back into the story, and then pass the time before the date. Also, see those times when she rams into the doors, that happens to me all the time and I felt like adding a little bit of personal flare into the story. Oh, and I don't own that quote from 'Dirty Harry' the movie. For those who don't know, it was that 'You've got to ask yourself' line by Takato. Anyway, this was one of my shortest chapters ever because I was drawing another huge blank for the rest of the way. But don't you people worry, schools about to start ('a/n' revised: when i wrote this), but I have the last two chapters already all lined up! I know exactly what I want to do with Chapter 8 and Chapter 9! But after that (sobs) it'll be over! Unless? Hmm… nah! Anyway, I hope you all liked it! Okay, buh-bye!

Love always, and Rukato forever. Peace.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	8. See No Evil

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A/N: Hello! Its already the first weekend! Woo-ho! Yeah, all right! So I realized just how much I missed writing the story, but had to do a little bit of work on this chapter. I spent like an hour just trying to come up with material to be a part of this chapter. Anyway, after you all see the title of this chapter you'll be able to guess the last chapters title, but I don't care. Okay, here we go. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
A/N: (revised) Yeah… that first 'a/n'… about four weeks old now. Please forgive. Love and be loved. Read… and review please.  
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See No Evil

I've always considered water as the opposite of the autumn leaves. Water is both a wonder, and a curse. Water creates, and water destroys. Water can save a life, and water can kill a life. In the winter, water is frozen over and left to be skated on by young love, old love, children, teens, and just about everyone. Come spring, water is used by the clouds on the flowers that have been dead, and give them new life. In the summer, water is put into the pools both public and private, for people- mostly awkward people- to jump into and be cooled. It also becomes popular to carry around water and drink it in times of exceptionally warm weather. Then, in autumn, the water becomes welcoming, and wonderful- just as it did that day a week ago today.

Once again, school was out and I was packing up to leave. I was happy it was the weekend again. Takato and me were going on a _date_ again today… it feels _awkward_ to call it that. A date. A date? I mean, really… were just two very close friends who enjoy the others company, like to talk to one another, and just happen to be of opposite sexes. I mean… that's normal right? For a boyfriend and girlfriend, that's normal right? Well, what do I care what normal is anyway? Up until a few months ago being ANYTHING near normal was considered out of the question as far as I was concerned.

I finished putting the last book in my bag, and turned around… well if good things come in two's then what comes from _one_ thing? Erica was sitting on top of her desk, alone, and apparently waiting for me to come and argue with her, or even say something. I hadn't spoken to her yet since thee um… 'incident.' I never knew that silence could be so powerful, but Erica had it coming to her, didn't she? It was she who told me herself, that _"silence suits you, Rika."_ Wasn't it? I guess the sounds of silence weren't so kind to her as she thought. I began my trot towards her, I knew she was going to stop me, but still decided to hope, maybe, just maybe, today would be different?

Apparently not, because she got up when I was only a few feet away. I did like I always do, I turned left, and she side stepped. I turned back to the right and she side stepped. Then I went back to the left and around two desks and… she followed? She hadn't done this before. I looked up at her with a look of disgust. Is NOW the time to push her over? _'Yes!'_ My mind screamed, the tough girl curtain- or whatever was left of it- was begging to get its chance at coming out of retirement. Takato seemed to have burned that curtain down, and made sure it burned to ashes. I no longer wore my pride on my sleeve, and rather didn't keep to myself as much… just in school.

"Not-ugh Nonaka, not today. Today, you're going to hear me out and what I have to say about you." She said.

I wasn't going to do anything of the sort. But what could I do? My anger at her was still present, but she wasn't boiling my blood enough for me to do anything to her. And what was I going to do about her game of cat and mouse? She wouldn't let me get away, not this time. I clamped down and got ready to tune her out. Maybe I could try and force the sound from my alarm clock to come out of her mouth some how? "First thing's first, you're a bitch."

I looked up at her with anger in my eyes, which was nothing compared to when I had daggers in my eyes, or worse fire. I hadn't tuned her out in time for that one, but whatever. I tuned them out . . . now!

"More importantly, your 'boyfriend' is just some big loser, I'm sure. I've got friends in his school, they say he doesn't have many friends. And the one's he is friends with, he's usually seen fighting with them. Sounds like you two match, except for the friends thing on your behalf."  
Damn! My ears weren't tuning her out! Well, I was just going to have to take this lying. The curtain was burned, dead, and wasn't ever coming back, so I wasn't going to fight her. "And as for you…"  
She paused before going on. Just as she had done in my room… she was trying… trying to savor the moment? As if she already had a killing stroke ready, what? She continued, "You may have a _'boyfriend'_ now, but I know the real you is still underneath. Your still cold."  
I looked up at her, the anger rising in me. _'Still cold'_? I was far from it! So far, being cold hadn't crossed my mind an extremely long span of time. She had paused again, savoring her victorious moments, for every little while that they lasted. "You're still falling apart."

The anger turned to daggers, and my blood seemed to be running. _"Still falling apart"?_ I was **never** falling apart. I had never fallen apart; I was always a whole. There were times before I met up with Takato again when I felt like crying, but knew that it was wrong- and that it was weak, but that was all a long past memory! I was past those points in my life… she was trying to bring back the old me, and it was very well damn working! She had paused again, still savoring these godforsaken moments! What the- "And I know the truth behind you still Rika. I know the real you is on the inside, begging to say something, anything, to me! Do you want to know what I know about you Rika? I'm going to tell you, are you ready?" (pause) "I know, your still **dead **inside." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The daggers became fire, and it was a passionate fire that begged the rebirth of my curtain. I felt the linger sensation in the pit of my stomach that meant the curtain might actually respond to the pleas. I removed my eyes from staring at her, and looked down at my feet. _"Dead inside"_? _"Dead inside"_? How… how could she say such a horrible thing! She was trying to pry the old me out… but an image of Takato came into my head, and I knew what he would have wanted me to do… I knew…

"I know your still-" _SLAP!_ I guess I'll never know what exactly she thought I still was. I had slapped her. I starred at the part of her cheek where my hand had hit, and gradually, slowly, it grew a shade of red as a mark was left. "Your wrong." I said.  
I pushed her left shoulder as I moved past her, just to make sure she was out of the way. I had told her she was wrong with a very shaky voice, maybe because it was basically out of use whenever I was in school, or around school, or maybe because I was actually **hurt** by what she had said. Either way, I think I got the reaction I had wanted out of her- shock! I turned around to look at where she was before I walked out into the hall, and she was still standing there, frozen and rooted to the spot, holding her cheek.  
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**With school let out, I walked out of the school and into the sunlight of the afternoon. I took a look around and found what I was looking for. I started walking over to my group of friends- Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, and Henry. I got to the group and said, "What's going on everyone?"

Kazu was the first to respond. "Not much, but me and Kenta gotta leave."  
Kenta gave him an odd look. "We do?"  
Jeri and I laughed at this, but Henry didn't seem to be paying any attention. "Yeah chumly! Now lets go, **we've** got a card tournament to win!"  
"But I always lose in the first round… and it's usually to you!"  
"Exactly, **I've** got a card tournament to win."  
Again we laughed as Kazu dragged Kenta away, but Henry was focused in on something else. "What's up, Henry?" I asked.

He didn't respond… and seemed to not have heard me. I waved my hand in front of his face, and… nothing? "HENRY!" I yelled at him.  
He wasn't responding? It was as if he wasn't even breathing, but his eyes were open, and he was standing up. "Henry, are you all right?" Jeri asked.  
I grabbed him by the wrist to try and jerk him to life and as soon as I touched him he seemed to snap out of his trance. "Oh… hi Takato, didn't see you there."

See me there? What was he talking about? I had yelled at him, was he like loosing it or something? Should I push the subject and ask him about it, or just assume he had blanked just now? I choose the second of my options. "Whatever, so does anyone want to walk with me home today?" I openly invited them both.

But neither responded at all. What gives? "I said, **does anyone want to walk home with me today?**"  
This seemed to get their attention. "Oh, yeah of course!" Jeri said.  
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Henry also said.  
"Good, then lets get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover and it's the weekend so lets rock!" I said.

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A/N: I hate to interrupt my story, but f—k. The f—king computer screwed me here. I had done the next like two pages (equaling one not double spaced page) and the f—king computer crashed. I lost that part, and now I'm stuck trying to remember what I wrote. F—k. I'm also trying not to curse. Is it working? H-E-Double Hockey Sticks no.  
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We started are walk back to my house along the sidewalk and Henry asked "So Takato… you never did say why you and Rika started hanging out again in the first place."  
I smiled thought back to last week. They had asked, but I ended up fighting with them, rather then answering them. "Jeri knows why." I said.  
She seemed to be taken aback a bit by this, not knowing exactly how to respond and therefore, not answering. I smiled again, and turned around as I was walking (walking backwards) and said "We started hanging out again just about… em, almost two months ago."  
As we were walking she didn't seem to get what I was trying to convey, but suddenly she stopped walking and opened her mouth in amazement at what she must have self-revealed. Henry stopped to wait up for her, but I turned around and slowly started to walk away, waiting for her to yell something, or for either of them to come running to catch up. "Takato! No way! Not… two months ago? No way!" she yelled.

I can't imagine how confused Henry must have been at this point, but just ignored him. "(While still slowly walking away) Yes way!" I yelled back.  
I heard footsteps as Jeri obviously had started to run to catch up. "You mean… like… two months ago, **TWO MONTHS AGO**?" she said, apparently unsure how to word herself.  
"No, two months ago like _two months ago_." I said half replied, half mocked her for bad choice of words.

Henry laughed, but she wasn't so keen to humor. "Shut up, Henry! You mean, like… the same exact day? Or… was there a time in between? Or what?" she asked.

I savored this moment to delay her anxiety of not knowing the answer for a few seconds and replied "Exact… same… day."

She squealed with giddy excitement, and Henry apparently was lost in his own little world, probably thinking 'what the hell are they talking about?' I decided it was time he found out. "So Henry, any questions so far?"  
"Only a few…" he said in a semi-serious tone.  
"Well you see, just under two months ago I asked Jeri out, and she turned me down." I said in a voice determined not to show any insecurity or self-consciousness, but rather just let everything out there.  
I waited… and waited… and waited a good thirty seconds for Henry to ridicule, or mock me, and still nothing came. Just when I thought I might **ASK** him to make fun of me for this, he spoke. "Yeah… and? What's so bad about that?"

I felt a bit of idiot about myself. Apparently I had been feeling bad about something that wasn't half as bad as I had EVER feared. I didn't say anything and I could tell… they knew I was in deep thought. "Nothing." I said, but then something came to me. If she had said yes, where would I be now? That thought however seemed to be kicked right out of my head as a picture of Rika came into my mind, and I smiled. More thoughts came in and out of my head, as a cloud of ideas seemed to be gathering, but that image of Rika shown right through all of them.

I spoke again, "It's nothing, because its not important anymore." I said, after and awkwardly long time of silence.  
They laughed a bit at this. I wasn't sure why… it wasn't meant to be funny, but I guess it's laughable that we had such a long awkward silence. Henry didn't care… my two best friends, not including Rika… who was both my best friend and girl friend, didn't care that I got turned down. That was a nice thing to know… a _very_ nice thing to know.  
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After another like ten minutes of walking home, joking, and talking about what had happened we finally got to my house. I smiled and looked at them, saying "Thanks for ah… walking home with me guys. I appreciate it."  
"Para nada." Henry said.  
"No habla espanol." Jeri said out loud.  
"Brujar." Henry said.  
"Fuck you, Henry!" she yelled at him.

I laughed at their Spanish conversation, as people walking by gave us all very odd and questioning looks. I guess it must have been very weird to see two teenagers speaking Spanish to one another and then suddenly to hear one scream out "Fuck you."

"Yeah… I gotta go." I said.  
They turned their attention to me and laughed. "Alright, I'll see you on Monday." Henry said.  
"Yep. Adios." I said.  
"Hasta luego." He responded.  
"DAMN IT, HENRY!" Jeri yelled again, oblivious to everyone around them.

'_What a nice couple.'_ I found myself thinking as I walked to the back of the store. Wait… couple?  
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**  
I made my way up the steps, my book bag weighing me down as I went. It made my steps slower and made 'falling backwards' more of a 'possibility', and less of an 'option.' I got to the top and headed for my room. I turned around and fell backwards onto my bed, book bag leading the way. I sat their for a few seconds, absolved in the pressure from a long week now past, and weighed down by the pressure of a sure to be rough weekend ahead, which, coincidentally, was also my book bag. I closed my eyes and thought of the date I had planned for me and Rika today. Sadly, I was unable to come up with anything quite up to par with what I had done last week, and decided to just take her back there. My brain seemed to be unloading all of the information it had taken in this past week. I felt the warmth of my bed wrap itself around me, and my left arm, which I had been lying on, became numb. I felt a 'pins and needles' effect come upon me as I could no longer feel a lot of what was going on with my body. Sleep seemed to come over me like a curtain closing on me hard. I felt it come upon me and…-

"NO!" I yelled, not loudly, but loud enough for me to open my eyes in response.

I rolled off of my arm and tried to sit up… no good. My book bag straps stopped me from going anywhere. I slipped my hands out of them, and sat up, rubbing my forehead. '_I can't fall asleep.'_ I thought. I stood up and couldn't think of what to do. I decided, if I didn't know… then mom certainly did! I ran out of my room, noticing my quickness, despite being sleepy, and headed down the stairs, yelling "MOM!"

I reached the bottom, and hadn't gotten a response. I opened my mouth to yell again, and heard, "I'm right here!"  
I walked left, towards where we actually baked the bread. "Hello Takato." She said to me.  
"Hey Mom! What's up?" I asked.  
"Not much. Just working the store. Yourself?" she said, putting some bread in, while taking some out.  
"I-" my stomach rumbled loudly and I quickly changed my choice of words, " am very hungry. And bored in the meantime. What should I do before I go to Rika's?"

"Look around you, Takato! Bread! Bread! It's everywhere!" she said, in an almost hysterical voice. "Just eat some of that. As for being bored, maybe you should do some homework? That's always nice! Or take a shower… or help me and your father!" she said.

I took some of the fresh bread she had just taken out of the oven, bit into it thinking over my options and she said, "Homework?" almost as if imploring me to do it.  
I smiled, swallowed the piece and said "That shower sounds pretty good mom, thanks!"  
I turned around, at her laughing, and started heading back up the steps to get ready.

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A/N: Reminder people, I am male. Wth… I COULD fill this in, but then that would be gay…… not that there's anything wrong with that…. O.o (considers how hypocritical, and cruel I am) Fast forwarding 1 hour…. NOW!  
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I pulled on my shorts, and long sleeve T-shirt. It may be on the verge of snowing, but I sure am not taking another dive into the pond and soaking another pair of jeans. Which reminds me, I took off my new watch and put it on the bed. I looked at the clock… 4:58! Shit! I hustled down stairs, and started looking for mom, or dad. Anyone, just so I could get in the car (A/N: Holy shit… do they even have a car? I just realized, I don't think they do. I don't remember them ever showing one in the show.), and get to Rika's house. "Takato! Your mothers waiting outside." Dad yelled to from the front.

Waiting? I ran to the front and outside to find mom waiting with the car on. I smiled, _'good old, reliable mom.'_ I walked to the car, opened the door, got in, and said, "Sorry."

"It's fine. We've even got time to kill! Maybe…" she said, with a calculating look. "Maybe I can even try to comb that hair of yours."  
I laughed, "Mom!"  
She smiled and laughed as well. "Okay… so, lets go." She said as she started up the car.  
I prepared for the short ride, and the long journey back to the pond that would follow.  
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We pulled up to Rika's house, and I quickly jumped out and ran to the front door. I was excited for a chance to be with Rika again. I knocked three times… waited a few seconds…… and open the door stands Rika… looking absolutely **beautiful**. She has her hair back in a ponytail, but not in the traditional way, spiked up (A/N: Personally, how does she get it to stay up like that? I mean really?), but instead just a regular, laid back ponytail, with an actual scrunchy holding it together. A white long sleeve shirt on that was covered with a, get this, PINK, and WHOLE heart! She did have jeans on, probably because its so cold, but it made me wonder… what would she look like with a skirt on…? My mind wandered for a few seconds and I realized I hadn't said anything yet. "You look gorgeous!"

The word 'gorgeous' hadn't meant to slip my mouth, it was suppose to be 'great' but my brain seemed to override my gut and tongue so it came out 'gorgeous.'  
I was somewhat happy with her reaction though, she smiled, blushed, and shied away a bit, turning to go back inside, while mumbling a heartfelt "Thanks."  
I followed her in, guessing that I didn't need an invitation. I didn't close the door because I wasn't sure if my mom was coming in or not, and was glad I didn't when she came in a few seconds later, rummaging through her purse.  
As we walked into the, now, very familiar kitchen I caught an aroma of something wonderful coming from just beyond where Rika was standing. She moved away, and I couldn't smell it. I turned to look at her and realized it was her. I was lost in my own little universe right now, and she was the sun. (A/N: awww) She turned to me and smiled and I felt happy. Was this… could this possibly be? Was this, _truly_ . . . love? I suddenly realized I was still staring a her, quickly pulled my eyes away, and felt like kicking myself for acting like such a dumb ass. Love? Seriously… love? In EIGHTH grade, who am I kidding? I'm just really absolved in her right now… but… oh, never mind! I don't want to think about that now, well, at least not **right** now.

My mom finally made her way into the kitchen, still looking for something, and finally Mrs. Nonaka, who I just noticed was sitting at the table, said "Okay you two, you can go."  
"Are you ready?" I asked her, excited for our time-to-be well spent.  
She gave me a questioning look, as if saying to me why I bothered asking, but she said, "Ready as I'll ever be."

I smiled, grabbed her hand- happy to be back in my place: with her- and led the way out of the kitchen, out the front door and down the stone steps. I was in a hurry, because I knew we only had such a little bit of time, but she didn't hold back, but kept on running with me. Until we got to the end of her driveway, when she asked, "So where are we going today?"  
"Back to the pond…" I said, realizing she might take this as bland, and changed course saying, "but trust me, if its not as exciting as last time (emphasizing on the last two words) we can go somewhere else next time."  
I tightened my grip on her hand as I ran across the street, determined not to let go.  
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It took us a good long time to navigate along the tree's and such, but finally we were slowly making are way down the hill to where the pond awaited. We hit the bottom, and rushed to the where the rocks surrounding the water were. "Still beautiful?" I asked her.  
"Still beautiful." She replied, with a smile and slight blush about her.

We laid on the rocks, however uncomfortable they may be, and stared out into the water. I felt like I was living a dream. To be on the most secluded and beautiful place I knew of in existence, with the most beautiful girl that I knew, in this perfect time of season, just before it was going to snow, a few days tops… it was something out of this world.  
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I smiled at the scene in front of me. It was just plain, flat out, nature in all its wonderment. I had been doing that a lot lately, I noticed. Smiling. Long gone had been the time when a smile wouldn't crack my lips if I was given a rare card, or money, for it. These are the days in which my life seemed to be at its best. How could I have gone from 'emotional wreck' that I was just two months ago, to 'complete wreck' after his attack, to 'happier then ever' in such as short span of time? It was an utter wonder to think of how I had changed so much.  
_Swoosh!_ Without even feeling him touch my head, Takato had pulled my scrunchy out in a swift, merciless motion. I gave him a look of 'little' contempt; he knew I didn't like to leave my hair out… or did he? He hadn't really ever seen me with it out, so he probably didn't know. "Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"What do you mean? You look even better, if you can believe that, with your hair down!" he said.  
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**She did.  
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**I blushed very deeply, and felt hotter in the cheeks then when the 'roses' had first come out to play, last weekend. Hmm… how do I make him pay for both letting my hair out, and making me blush? I know… I'll confuse him.  
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I couldn't seem to pull my eye's away from her, she just looked incredible! I was going crazy staring at her! I had never seen her with her hair down, but this seems to fit her so well!  
"How much do you like me?" she asked me.

What?………………………

What?

What!

"Um… what?" I asked back, hoping beyond hope, she would say something different.  
"Did I stutter? I asked, how much do you like me?" she asked, turning on her side to face me.  
I seemed to be in shock, as I couldn't comprehend how to respond, in any way, shape, or form. If I told her the truth, that I thought I might 'love', her she might be stricken with too much, and shy away. On the other hand, if I didn't answer well enough she might not think I like her as much as I really do. But if I didn't answer… then she might take it the REALLY wrong way. I swallowed hard and got ready to be misunderstood, and to have a bad choice of words. I turned on my side as well to face her. "Umm… well… I really, really like you I guess."

That was BAD! She gave me a look asking me if I was serious, and I went on, befuddled, "I mean…I mean… I… um…. Wow… umm… I really, really, REALLY like you?" I offered.  
Still that same look of disappointment, and I knew I had to improve it with out using the word 'love'. I racked my brain for a second to try and come up with a word that might slip in between 'like' and 'love' and couldn't find one. I thought deeper, but I was being pressured with no time to think this over. I had to say something, so I just let the words spill out of my mouth, "I mean… I care about you a whole lot, and its just, I can't find the right word to describe it! I mean… I'm beyond 'liking' you… it's just…"

So much for that method, 'words spilling out' wasn't going to work either. "Then think of a word!" she almost DEMANDED from me.  
I look up at her, and she was smiling. This made me happy and I closed my eye's to think, maybe by closing my eye's I could come up with a better word?  
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**Here's my chance! I moved in for the kill.  
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**About a second went by and I still couldn't think of a word to describe how I felt about her, other then 'love'. I felt her move closer to me, and just before I could open my eyes to see what she was doing I felt the greatest sensation my body had ever felt, and I wanted to shake with feeling at it's impact. I opened my eyes and we were engaged in a kiss… our '_first kiss_'. But this feeling I had it was like…  
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**I kissed him, and could feel only one thing in my entire body… _Electricity…  
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**But this feeling that I had it was like… _Electricity…  
_She pulled away after another almost three seconds.  
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I smiled more then EVER before, turned my head to look at the ground and blushed madly. I could only think of one thing to say. "**THAT'S**… how much I like you."  
He couldn't seem to respond, and I looked up to see him blushing redder then myself… at least I think… I hope.  
"That's a lot." He said.

I stared into his eyes, and he into mine. It was magic, and electricity is what it was. It was beautiful. This… this could no longer 'possibly' be… this **had** to be _love_.

We smiled a bit longer, and it was then, that I was positive it was love. I had to let him know how I felt… but I wanted him to know it in a heartfelt way, not in another kiss, or through physical reactions. There had to be a way…  
_Sing for him!_ A voice told me in the back of my head, _But I only know one song!_ Another voice said. I knew he liked to hear me sing… but was it really worth it? Did this deserve a song from me? _Of course it is!_ The first voice said again. I was caught… should I or should I not?

"Umm… so, do want to hear me sing?" I asked him, unsure of myself.  
He smiled, took a split-second look at the pond, and looked me in the eye, "I would _**love**_ to hear you sing."  
I love how he used the word 'love' in context to why I was going to sing for him. I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." I said.  
"Here comes a beautiful song." He said, almost instinctively.  
I smiled a bit more at this. I readied my voice for it, and began my song-  
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We crossed the street towards my house after coming out of the woods. My voice was well spent. He had made me sing that song eighteen times! Okay, maybe not eighteen times, more like six. But that's almost like eighteen to someone who _almost_ never uses there singing voice.  
As we headed up the street he said, "Sing it one more time, please."  
"No way!" I replied.  
"Please, one more time, just for me!" he begged.  
I struggled, if I pressed the issue it might result in an argument, mostly on my behalf. I decided to just give in, one last time. "Alright, one last time. But you have to hold my hand while I sing it." I added.

He smiled, and said, "If that's what its gonna take." In a mock-serious voice.  
I put my hand out, and the warmth of his own grabbed hold, and I found new energy and new life inside myself. I started to sing again:

"_Promise that we'll stay for the sunset_  
_and when the moon shines through the darkness__  
__we can find the path that leads us home__  
__and on the way you…__  
__Maybe__  
__Sing me a song…__  
__Promise that you will always be there…__  
__Hold my hand if I'm ever real scared…_  
_Help me stand up tall…__  
__If I fall down…__  
__Make me love always…__  
__On my bluest days…__  
__How could you promise__  
__you'd always would be there__  
__why'd you have to go away somewhere__  
__Every morning__  
__Into everynight__  
__Do you watch over me__  
__Like the sun in the sky__  
__And I'm all alone__  
__standing in your night; I wish that I could…__  
__maybe…__  
__sing you a son…__  
__tonight…"_

I stopped. "That's it! That's all you get."  
"Awww! Come, on!" he argued.  
"Nope, that's all. Besides, were home now." I pointed out.

He looked at the house as he was, actually, just noticing for the first time. I had buried my eyes in his while I was singing, however, I was paying more attention to my surroundings then he was.  
"Well… then… no more song?" he asked, defeated.  
I smiled a sympathetic smile and said "No. No more song."

"Well… it was still beautiful." He said, his voice gaining its life again.  
I smiled, again, and let go of his hand. "Alright, lets go."  
He shook his head, and led the way to the front door.  
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I loved to hear her sing. It was like my own little piece of heaven coming upon me, and awaking me to everything that was beautiful in the world. I walked up the stairs, her footsteps fast behind me and decided it had been an incredible day. A beautiful day, a beautiful pond, my first kiss ever(!), a beautiful song, and most important, a beautiful girl, whose beauty was greater then any other of the things.

I stopped at the front door, and reached out my hand to open it, but Rika grabbed hold of my wrist, and pulled me to face her. She pulled me closer and we kissed a second time. There was no tongue involved… no grabbing for each other… we only touched where she held my hand… there even seemed to be an un**want**ingly like feeling upon us… that we cared too much about each other to try and convey it 'physically'… It was a sweet, short kiss. I thought back to what I had been thinking earlier, about if it could 'possibly' be love, or not? At such a young age? This… this could no longer 'possibly' be… this **had** to be _love_.

It was short, because the door I had intended to open, was flung open and standing in the doorway was Mrs. Nonaka, mouth wide open, but sort of in the shape of a smile, and her eyes spoke of shock… or was it?

We broke apart quickly, embarrassed to be caught kissing at the front door. I didn't say anything, but was desperate to say anything… anything to maybe lessen what Mrs. Nonaka was thinking.  
"It's good to know my only daughter is being treated to such a nice young man." She finally said, and smiled at us.  
Rika laughed at this, in shock that her mother would respond so, and said "Mom!"  
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**A/N: Don't look at me like that! (hangs head in shame) I can only beg your forgiveness. It took me FOUR weeks to type this chapter. Maybe that's why it so long? I wasn't really conscious to how long it was, because it was broken up while I was typing it. It didn't take me four weeks, it took me about 5 or 6, maybe 7 days to type. But I only had one night to type in, in those four weeks, during the school week. Cross countries a bitch, I tell you that. With that alone, I lose one-hour per-day, then add homework, about 45-60 minutes for dinner, and ouch. Houston, we have a problem. As you saw at one point, I did lose a good core part of the chapter, and after that, which was like 3 weeks ago, I was just disheartened to typing at all. It was just gay (no offense, just in case) to have to type that whole two pages over again. I got it done eventually, but it sucked. The first time their conversation the way home was WAY better. By the way, Henry said 'bitch' in Spanish when he said 'brujar'. I had a Spanish test the next morning, and it's the only Spanish curse word I know, so whatever. 'Hasta luego'- for the less educated- means, I think, 'see you later.' Oh yeah, for any people who want to kill me for it, because while I don't like Jeri at all, and hate 'Jurato' in general, I DID butcher Jeri's character. I admit it, she never had that nature to even think of cursing in the show, but I thought it was really funny the way I wrote that part out. Anyway, I'm so sorry its really long (18 pages double spaced!) but I had to get SO much across before I get to the last chapter. Hopefully that will be up by Monday! I have a four-day weekend, but I don't want to dedicate it to just typing, sorry. I realized actually DO have a life outside of this story. Please forgive, also, that I had Rika sing this chapter. If you want to get the full affect of it go onto you tube dot com and look up "Digimon Rika Promise" and just watch the scene from the movie. I loved it. I didn't want us to be stuck at the pond forever so I cut out the first times she sings it, and just gave you the last time she sings it. Also, I'm going to give you a sad/pathetic/shameful/laughable/pathetic/pathetic little fact about my life. I ugh… I've ah… I've never kissed a girl. I'm working on it though! (watches out for the people getting ready to throw stones) Please no! That is precisely why I don't elaborate on their kisses. Just assume they're kisses that signify 'love'. Please don't hate me! Anyway, I have a question for everyone who has followed this so far (cough Kuroy). This is the largest cry I have out to the people, I need at least 4 reviews. At the minimum, so even if you're just reading this now, please review, even if you don't like the story. I need at least 4 because it's a three-answer poll. If you don't have an account, I'd love anonymous reviews! The question is: Should I make a sequel? I already got one opinion on this, it was that as the author I should have the final call, which I do, but I want people's opinions. The three choices are: (1) Yes! Make it to them going back to the digital world, because we all remember the portal they showed in the last scene of the season. (2) Yes! Make a 4-story, 9 chapters each, and line of stories, which would follow them through high school. Or, (3) No! A sequel could possibly destroy everything great about Autumn Leaves, especially if I write a crappy one. That's all for now. I love you all!

Love Always. Rukao Forever.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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	9. Hear No Evil

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A/N: Hello to everyone! I'm so sorry this is late. I was not planning on an f—king computer malfunction to happen (you don't want to know). But I'm here, and I'm typing! These are sad times, because the story is ending, but happy times because… a sequel has been decided upon! Woot! Yeah! I know the vote… do you? Hahaha. Okay, two little notes about this chapter- (1) treat it as the end of the story, please. There may be a sequel, but its still the last chapter of my first story. And second (2) this chapter itself is being dedicated to-RomanceRighter (_gasp!_). Shocked? Thank you for being my friend of recently. Thanks to you, I was kept from being disheartened from re-typing this chapter, I was given some GREAT Rukato's to read, and had a _few_ awesome long messages. Thanks a ton. Love and be loved. Read… and review.  
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Hear No Evil 

The leaves in Autumn are beautiful, with their colors of gold, red, brown, and green. They make you feel safe, welcome, good… loving. They dance around your head when they fall, tempting you to reach for it, daring you to out reach and touch something real that won't be there anymore very soon. So soon you can't help but reach out and touch them. Because if you never reach out, how will you ever know if there was anything to touch? If you can't reach out and lend a helping hand to someone that is **falling** apart, or breaking **down** how would you ever know if that person was willing to return your love? But still… the leaves are beautiful in Autumn.

It's been two days since me and Takato had our… how should I word this? Our… 'moment.' In those two days it's snowed like crazy, almost two feet! After we got back home on Friday he went home, it started yesterday afternoon, and went straight through the night. I had set my alarm last night because I wanted to wake up early. It's screaming once again but I can't make out what it's saying. I turn over in bed, and turn my ears towards the radio and-

"That's right Tom, almost 23 inches! Now if we'll turn to our traffic re-"

What!? I quickly sat up and look at the radio. I could… I could hear! Clear as day, I could hear that damn radio for the first time in God knows how long!

But how? How could I hear this damn thing again? I tried to think quickly about what in my life has changed and Takato flashed into my head. I smiled to myself at how obvious it was.

But I had to be sure. I rolled out of bed with my dulled cat like agility. It was dulled because I hadn't needed to, or been using them as much lately. They were still there for me regardless. I found my cd player, and put on any song I didn't know and… I could hear!

"This is incredible!" I said out loud.  
I hurried out of my room, and went straight for the phone. He would be the first to know, for sure.  
I picked up the phone and dialed his house.  
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Fucking snow.

I stumbled out of my room and down the stairs cursing the cold as I held my elbows trying to stay warm. For a bakery the walls sure did seem to be paper-thin at times. I walked into the kitchen where mom and dad were apparently cooking breakfast.

"Morning, Takato. Want some of your fathers world class pancakes?" she asked me.  
"Do you even need to ask him?" dad said.  
She gave him a glare, and I came to the rescue. "Honestly, do you?"  
They laughed, and I walked over to the table. I pulled out a chair and- _BRRRRRING!_

I let out whimper_. Why me God? What did I do to deserve this?_ I thought to myself, cursing the phone as I pushed the chair back in and walked over to the telephone. I picked it up, and wanted to scream into it. "Hello, Matsuda residence, this is Takato speaking."

"Takato, good! What's up?" I heard a very familiar voice say into the other end.  
I closed my eyes and savored her heavenly voice. Did she sound better in the morning or just when I'm drowsy? I smiled and said, "Not too much, just-"

"Awesome, meet me in the park now." She interrupted me with.  
I let another whimper out. "What? I just-"  
"Got up?" she offered.  
"Yeah!" I said, finally glad to get it out.  
"Great, so did I, but this is important!" she said, a little bit of persistence about her tone.

I thought over my options. I can't keep arguing…I'll lose for sure! Well… she's been up as long as I have, and if its important to her, it really must be important, oh well. Maybe if I eat fast enough… "Okay, just give me some time to get ready."  
"Now, Takato I don't care if… wait, what?" she asked, surprised at my response.  
"I said, give me some time to ready. Like a half hour." I said.  
"Oh! Okay! See you then!" she said, excited, into the phone.  
"Yep, bye." I said.  
"Bye." She said.

Then an idea hit me faster then lightening; I breathed quickly into the phone. "Love you."  
There was no response at first, and I thought she must have hung up before she heard it, but then I heard her say. "Love you too."

I smiled a huge smile to myself, and waited just long enough to let her know I heard but not too long to think I was going to say something else before hanging up. I stood there a moment by the phone, pleased with my courage to say what I had said. Then I quickly ran back into the kitchen, desperate to get some food in me before I went out, thinking all the while, "_Why me God? What could I possibly have done I to deserve her, above anyone else!?"  
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_"Its… so… cold!"_ I said to no one in particular, shivering as I trudged through the snow regardless of about three and a half layers of clothes I was wearing. I was sort of late because mom wanted to make sure I was completely covered up. Ugh, Rika's gonna be pissed. I slowly dug one heavy boot into the ground, while attempting to unearth the other and make forward progress.  
So far I had managed to get almost to the halfway point, so maybe Rika would be coming around the corner any second! I just hope she isn't mad that she had to go further then that. I mean c'mon, when we talked it was obvious she had more energy then me! What the hell am I supposed to do? Run there? I think I did that enough already! I meaaaaaaa- "Ouch!" I screamed out.

I looked down to my right foot, which was a hell of a lot deeper into the snow then it should have been. I realized I must have stepped into a divot. "Fuc- _WHAK!_

Ice cold nothingness filled my body. I was completely numb for a few seconds, fazed by the freezing air and the wet snow covering me. I realized it wasn't my entire body covered in snow, but rather, just my face.

I wiped it off clean and made to look for the cause of the snow smacking me in the face. I looked to my left… nothing. I turned to the right… nothing? What gives? No one or thing was standing near me, and I couldn't see any footsteps up ahead to indicate someone was in hiding, yet I felt a sudden uneasiness about my current surroundings.

As if… someone was watching me.

_SLAM!_ I jumped! I looked to my left an saw a rather HUGE pile of snow appear at my side, only a few feet away, that had not been there before. I hesitantly looked up, and saw a branch removed of snow, and seemed to be only a ten feet above my head. I started to try and push forward, but turned around as I was walking to stare at that branch. Could that stupid thing have dropped snow on me?

I watched it with suspicion, and gave it an evil eye as long as I could. However, before I could turn back around I felt my weight triple, saw flares of red streaks around me, my knees buckled, and for some odd reason… I had no problem with it.

I hit the ground with a thud, felt something, or rather someone, crawl on top of me and pin me to the ground. I smiled as I looked up at my captor, and saw the red fire streaks fall down and surround me like a veil, or a curtain closing on the final act.

She smiled right back.

This beautiful angel, who seemed intent on keeping me within grasp, leaned on top of me, bent its head, and graced my ice lips with a blaze of passion, but only for a moment… and then it was gone. The weight was alleviated as she rolled off of me, and lay in the snow next to me. I smiled again at one of the most beautiful persons I had ever laid eyes on, and thanked God I was so lucky to have her.

Rika returned the smile, and I felt the warmth come from her, as if she were setting me on fire with that smile, and melting away this ice.  
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I stared at him a moment longer. Everything just seemed surreal! How could I possibly be so lucky? Even in the snow I felt good with him! The snow, this damn snow, was so cruel, and so… well, so **cold**, I guess you could say. I hadn't really been thinking about it, but the snow reminded me of one of the worst experiences of my life. That time I had been captured by IceDevimon. It reminded me both of his cold touch and of the cold heart I had felt when I was in his grasp. But with Takato, I thought nothing of it! With Takato, the snow was just… snow! I was caught in the moment. I stood up, and pulled him with me, grabbed his hand, and led him to the protection under some trees just a few feet away. I sat us down on the closest thing I could find, which happened to be a stump. It was wide enough for both of us to sit on a look directly at each other. I stared into his eyes, and begged him to do the same, but he took no notice. He was too preoccupied by my speed and reactions, to notice my staring at him, trying to catch his attention. I reached my snow-covered glove up, touched his face gently, and brought him to look at me. I leaned in and we kissed again. An infinity seemed to pass as I poured myself into him, trying to convey all of my feelings of love for him! To let him know-

_SMACK!_

Ice cold nothingness surrounded us, and we broke apart. Immediately I began to look around for the cause to the end of my peace. I blinked back some snow from my eyes and could see the outline of someone leaning up against a tree no five feet from where we were sitting.

"Ya know, I distinctly remember Terriermon singing 'Renamon and Guilmon sitting in a tree, K-I-SS-I-N-G' Now I can sing, 'Rika and Takato sitting **on** a tree, K-I-SS-I-N-G." it said in a sing-song voice that mocked us, and caused my blood to run wild with anger.  
"Henry! What are you doing here?" Takato said, excited to see his friend, and oblivious to my anger.  
But what was I angry about? Henry had interrupted our… our… what exactly was that we just had? I searched within myself for a word, and none came. Henry spoke again, "Oh, not much. I just happen to enjoying a nice first snow and saw a certain best friend of mine walking in the park and couldn't resist to causing a little mischief."

Takato laughed a bit at this, and I did too, but only after I had heard Takato laughing, and it was shaky laughing, pointing out how obvious it was I didn't want to laugh. I thought a second to what Henry had said though, 'sitting **on** a tree?' I looked down to where we were and felt embarrassment and stupidity come over me at how badly I had walked right into that one. I wasn't happy with Henry right now, but if Takato could put up with him…

I looked at Takato, and he seemed to be out of it. He was in deep thought, and maybe, just maybe, he was thinking over Henry's song as well.

"I thought for sure you'd catch me the first time I hit you, Takato." Henry said.  
Takato responded with an awed and confused look on his face, and had a sudden realization. "That was you!?" he asked.  
Henry nodded, and Takato proceeded to push him to the ground. "You jerk! That was so cold!" he said in a friendly like aggravated tone.

Henry laughed as he began to try and sit back up. I was lost in my own little world of confusion. '_What are they talking about?_' I caught myself thinking, and Takato apparently noticed. "**SOMEONE**, hit me with a snowball to the face right before you tackled me." He said.

I gave a smirk, and then let it drop. I just couldn't be as happy with Henry around. It was too… awkward.

"Gee, the three of us haven't been together at the same time since…" Henry had started, but broke off, realizing where it was headed.  
We all became silent, thinking back truly, to when we last had been together. It was such a sad day, such a horrible nightmare, such… '**_DAMNIT RIKA, DON'T LOSE IT NOW! NOT HERE!_**' my head screamed, and my anger at Henry returned, because with him, I couldn't be my new self… I had to be the old, fake Rika, the same one that no longer existed. Especially not when I was around Takato.

We sat there another good ten seconds without a word, and my anger at Henry for being present rose with every one of those seconds. I forced a fake smile at him, and he seemed to be shocked I was smiling at all. Finally, Takato broke the silence. "Umm… can I show you guys something? … Its kind of important."

I thought it over a second, and thought of how earlier this morning I had used that same word to hook him in. I smiled a **real** smile and said, "Absolutely."  
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Henry said as well.  
Takato stood up suddenly and said, "Great! Its kind of a surprise, and its not the pond Rika." He added for me.

Henry looked bewildered for a moment, but whatever; he doesn't need an explanation. Takato started walking, and I stood up quickly and began to chase after, closely followed by Henry.  
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'I wonder how they're going to take it?' I thought to myself.  
I mean… it's been so long, and we haven't really talked about it till just now. Is it… is it really that important? 'Of course it is!' said my head again.  
'They were our best friends!' it continued, and I stopped it. I found myself walking up the stone steps into the hangout, but no longer heard footsteps behind me. I turned to look at a hesitant and reluctant Rika and Henry. "What's that matter?" I asked.

They looked at each other a moment, and Rika tried to answer, "It's just… well, Takato… there's just so many memories here… so many-"  
"- So many things to remind us of what we were trying to get past all this time." Henry finished for her.

I smiled at them. "Well… maybe we don't have to try anymore." I said.

They looked at me bewildered again.

I smiled a mischievous smile at them, which they could easily read 'no good' into, and I walked right into the hangout, without another word.  
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I waited a few more seconds, maybe a full fifteen, and then they came walking into the hangout, slowly, but they were in. _Got em!_ Now, to tell them the truth that I had been holding in for this long, but no longer shall it be hidden. "So… they're all gone. Terriermon (I looked at Henry)… Renamon (I looked at Rika)… and Guilmon (I looked to where the hole was, it was visibly 'invisible' because of the snow, but _I_ knew it was there.)"

They looked at me upset, because I was bringing back bad memories. I took a few steps to the right, and the only thing between them and me… was the hole. "Guys… come here… I've got a secret to tell you."

They looked surprised and yet still bewildered. They started to move forward _'… Three steps to go…. Two steps to go… One more step!'_

They both took one huge step forward and fell two feet into snow!

Rika screamed, Henry too… they obviously had no idea what they had walked right into. I rushed to help them both out of the hole they fell into. As I pulled them up, I also started to dig. I knew once we got to the bottom we would be able to see the portal. They were screaming at me after I helped them out, screaming insanity's as I dug and dug and finally, not even twenty seconds into digging… hit bottom! I crouched down and looked to the end of the path… and a strange familiar light shown through the darkness. "TAKATO! What the HELL are you DOING!?" Rika screamed at me.

I looked up at her, her face racing with rage, and I smiled. "Reminiscing… reminiscing." I said.  
"What are you talking about!?" they both screamed at me.  
"Come down here and look." I said, reaching up and pulling myself out of the hole.  
They both stared at me like I was crazy. "What?" Henry said.  
"Well ya see… remember when Guilmon found the portal to the digital world, when we were still fighting the devas?" I asked of them.  
They stared unbelievingly, but Rika's expression changed suddenly. She stared at me, her eyes wide. "No…" she said.  
"YES!" I replied.

Immediately she jumped down to the bottom, and after a few seconds of trying to get right… "YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME!"  
I laughed hysterically, and Henry quickly looked from me to Rika, who was pulling herself out, and bent down to crawl down himself. Rika got out and rushed at me, arms wide, and gave me a tremendous hug. I returned it, but she pulled away and hitting me on the head. "Ow! What was-"  
"HOLY SHIT!" Henry screamed.  
"Right. What was that for?" I asked Rika.  
"For holding this back so long you dope!" she nearly yelled.

Henry pulled himself out rather quickly. "How long… how long have you known about… about… about **this**!" he found the word he was looking for.  
I frowned, "Since they left."  
"And you never told us?" He asked.  
"I have now." I said.

He closed his mouth, deciding not to go through with his retaliation. "So, what do you think?" I asked.  
"I think we should leave right now." Rika said.  
I smiled, and got ready to agree. "No!"  
I did a double take. "What?" I asked Henry.  
"**WE** can't go… not alone. We're not the only ones who lost our partners. We have to tell the others. And besides, we can't go now… what if we can't get back? How will anyone know what happened to us?" he reasoned with us.

I thought this over for a few seconds and realized he was right. I nodded, and, although reluctant, Rika nodded too. "So… we have to tell everyone, and be prepared to go then. But what's it going to be like when we actually get there? I mean… its not like our appearance is going to be announced or anything." I said.

"We'll find a way to find them… we'll find a way." Henry said reassuringly.  
I smiled, knowing he was sure it could work, then turned to Rika. She was already staring at me. "We should get back home… so we can start to talk about how were going to deal with the craziness when everyone hears about it." I said, mostly to her, but to Henry too I guess.

She smiled and nodded, and she knew I loved that smile.

We slowly made our way out of the hideout, and back to my house, because it was the closest. We talked about our partners, how we thought everyone, individually, will react, about how I had somehow kept it from them for so long, about how excited we were knowing we were going back. However, for some odd reason, right before we got back to my house, Rika told me "You'll never know how you mean to me." I smiled, and gave her a peck on the cheek. Henry just walked ahead of us, shaking his head like he wished he didn't know us. If he only knew how we acted when he wasn't around… _if he only knew_.

Maybe he'll find out soon enough?

**-FIN-  
**_Autumn Leaves_  
**-FIN-**

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A/N: All finished! Or is it? Okay… it is. But the sequel starts now. I'll get to work immediately and just give me like… 3 weeks to get ahead, that way if anything goes wrong (i.e.- computer malfunction's) I'll have a good cushion of time to fall back on. Also, sorry for all the cursing… I really couldn't find anyway around it… not this time. I do really hope you all liked it. I don't have much else to say, except: don't expect me to disappear. I've got another poem/story coming, eventually, and I have another many chapter story that I mentioned in the end 'a/n' of an earlier chapter (possibly the second?), but the sequel will be worked on. I still have to say… this was my first, and I want to thank EVERYONE for reading it thus far, and reviewing. Please proceed to the review section after reading this though, because I appreciate it very much. Cross country ends, not this Sunday, but the following one, with the PCL's (Philadelphia Catholic League) Titles. La Salle (my high school!) is undefeated in cross country this season, and actually, haven't lost a single race at the racing site (Belmont Plateau) in over three YEARS! Holy crap! Talk about pressure huh? And dominance, huh! Haha. Anyway, again, thank you for reading, and be watching for more from… Thee Notorious… P…A…T…

_The curtain closes,  
__they're throwin roses at my feet  
__I take a bow,  
__and 'Thank you all for comin out'  
__They're screamin so loud,  
__I take one last look at the crowd_- Eminem, When I'm Gone

Indeed… Thank you all for coming out. Yeah, this feels right. Okay, Peace!

Love Always. Rukato Forever.

(Truck horn sounded and trucker talking) Honk! Honk! I thank you.  
(Chappelle in the background) I'm Rich Bitch!  
(I also don't own 'The Chappelle Show' closing or anything remotely like that.)  
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